This body works tirelessly - such a load would not withstand any mechanism! During our life, the heart contracts more than 3.5 billion times to ensure that every cell in our body receives fresh blood enriched with oxygen, gets rid of excess carbon dioxide and other "production waste". But there are many situations that are dangerous for our "engine" ...
Risk factors:
Hypertension.
If the pressure is too high, the elasticity of the vascular walls suffers. Untreated hypertension leads to the development of sclerosis, increases the risk of heart attack, worsens vision, affects the kidneys, vessels of the brain - as a result, life expectancy decreases.
How to treat. If the pressure rises not to critical numbers, it can be adjusted by changing your lifestyle. Adhere to the appropriate diet with the restriction of salt (up to one teaspoon per day), get rid of bad habits (primarily from smoking!) And take care of physical activity. In the case of complicated or severe hypertension, it is necessary to take medications that lower blood pressure. Treatment (rather long) is prescribed only by a doctor - self-medication is unacceptable. Remember: drugs that fit all, does not exist!
Atherosclerosis.
The main provocateur of the disease is cholesterol. It settles on the walls of the vessels in the form of sclerotic plaques, which narrows the blood vessels and complicates the blood supply. This cholesterol is also called bad.
How to treat. The level of cholesterol reduces the drugs of the new generation, which increase the blood levels of good cholesterol, as well as the drugs that lower the level of bad cholesterol. But often some drugs are not enough. To eliminate a serious threat of a heart attack or stroke, medicine uses even more radical means. Angioplasty is popular - implantation in vessels of special stents and bridges.
Myocardial infarction.
The sclerotic plaque eventually narrows the lumen of the vessels so much that the heart receives less and less oxygen and nutrients. This process has been developing for several years. Myocardial infarction occurs when, due to the obstruction of blood vessels, oxygen-enriched blood can not reach any part of the heart.
How to treat. The only salvation in acute myocardial infarction is urgent medical care.
Cardiac ischemia.
It is also called the disease of an exsanguinated heart. Ischemia provokes sclerotic narrowing of blood vessels, through which blood, rich in oxygen and nutrients, goes to the heart. The manifestation of coronary artery disease (CHD) is most often pain, localized behind the breastbone (feels like squeezing, squeezing, burning) and giving to the left arm. The pain lasts from several minutes to several hours. Usually appears after physical exertion, when the body (and hence the heart) needs more oxygen.
How to treat. There are special treatment regimens, the main task of which is to increase the flow of oxygen to the heart, reduce its need for oxygen (drug), expand the coronary vessels, improve myocardial nutrition.
It's time to see a doctor?
You should definitely consult a doctor if: you suddenly feel choking, which has arisen for no apparent reason and is not related to physical activity;
1. Even a small load causes you shortness of breath;
2. You are prone to fainting;
3. The ankles, hands and especially the face swell;
4. You often feel a strong heartbeat;
5. You feel pain, which is localized in the middle of the chest and gives to the neck or jaw.
Health rules
Remember that prevention is always cheaper and easier to treat! Even if your heart does not bother you, take care of his health daily. For example, in the morning, do a set of exercises, swim in the pool in the morning, eat fish with vegetables for dinner, limit the amount of cigarettes you smoke ... In your menu, there must necessarily be foods rich in fiber (vegetables, fruits, whole grain bread, cereals, brown rice, corn, beans) and antioxidant vitamins A, C and E (many in vegetables, fruits, vegetable oils, olives, green tea, sunflower seeds, almonds). The level of bad cholesterol increases when you eat a lot of meat, animal fats and eggs. For the heart, magnesium is useful in combination with vitamin B6, polyunsaturated omega-3 acids and coenzyme Q10.
Follow the weight
With an excess weight within 5-8 kg, the risk of heart disease increases by 25% and by 60% if the excess is 9-12 kg. Every extra kilogram makes the heart work hard, so usually people who are obese, it malfunctions. If the body mass index (weight in kilograms, divided by height in meters squared) exceeds 25, it would be good to lose weight. But if it is above 30, weight loss is mandatory! Remember, nicotine smoke adversely affects blood circulation (increases coagulability of blood, narrows vessels). If you have diabetes, hypertension or high cholesterol, and you smoke, you can provoke a heart attack. Smoking is one of the main factors causing heart problems!
Infarcts have become younger
We are used to believe that only elderly people face heart problems. In fact, recently cardiovascular diseases are significantly "younger" - they are increasingly affected by 25-35-year-olds. Doctors, among other things, give one more important advice: you want to have a healthy heart - be active! During sports, the body receives a lot of oxygen. Working regularly, you can reduce the level of harmful cholesterol and sugar in the blood, lower blood pressure.
What is a pacemaker?
An electric pacemaker is an apparatus that is designed to stimulate the heart with electrical impulses. Vzhivaetsya the same as an artificial pacemaker. In fact, it replaces the defibrillator, that is, when the heart is stopped, it again "starts" its work. The first patient, who was implanted with a pacemaker in 1958, lived to be 86 years old (died in 2002).