A Healthy Heart for a Happy Life
‘Use Heart to Beat Cardiovascular Disease’ was the
theme of World Heart Day 2020. Cardiovascular Disease
(CVD) today is the number one cause of death on the
planet.
The heart beats about 2.5 billion times over the
average lifetime, pushing millions of gallons of blood to
every part of the body. This steady flow carries with it
‘oxygen, fuel, hormones, other compounds, and a host
of essential cells. It also whisks away the waste products
of metabolism. When the heart stops essential functions
fail, some almost instantly.
Given the heart’s never-ending workload, it’s a wonder
it keeps performing so well for so long and for so many
people! But did you know that the heart can also fail
due to a poor diet, lack of exercise, smoking, infection,
unlucky genes, and some other reasons?
A key problem is atherosclerosis, which is the
accumulation of pockets of cholesterol-rich gunk inside
the arteries. These pockets, called plaque, can limit the
flow of blood in the arteries that nourish the heart (the
coronary arteries) and other arteries throughout the
body. When a plaque breaks apart, it can cause heart
attack or stroke.
Although many people develop some form of CVD
as they get older, it isn’t inevitable. A healthy lifestyle,
especially when adopted at a young age, goes a long way
in preventing CVDs. Moreover, while heart-harming
trends like high blood pressure or high cholesterol
can be nipped in the bud through lifestyle changes and
medications, a variety of medications, operations and
devices can help support the heart if any damage occurs.
So let’s rise to the occasion and have a healthy heart for
a happy life!
A catch-all term for all of the diseases affecting the heart and the blood
vessels.
Be FAST to Recognize the Sign of a Stroke
Normal brain functions are essential for our day-to-
day activities. Any sudden interruption in normal brain
function is called a stroke or brain attack. The complexity
of the human brain is more than the supercomputer. It is
a mystery that has not been solved completely despite
tremendous technological advancement.
A stroke occurs when there is a sudden blockage or
rupture of brain blood vessels. The sudden blockage is
due to pre-existing atherosclerotic disease in neck or
brain blood vessels or embolism from a cardiac source.
Rupture of the brain blood vessels is caused by high
blood pressure, uncontrolled diabetes, aneurysm, or
arterio-venous malformation.
Stroke Burden
World Statistics: Stroke is the 3rd leading cause of
mortality in the world after ischemic heart disease
and cancer. One in six people worldwide will
have a stroke in their lifetime. Every 6 seconds a
stroke kills someone in the world. Approximately
17 million people experience a stroke each year
and 6 million of them do not survive. About thirty-
three million people have had a stroke and most of
them have had residual disabilities.
Statistics in India: In India the cumulative incidence of
stroke is 10-15 million patients per year, that is, |.27-2.2
per 1000 persons. Every day nearly 4500 strokes happen
all over India. One patient suffers from a stroke every
40 seconds. Each year approximately 4 lakh people
die, which means every 4 minute | person dies due to
stroke.
Stroke is indeed a devastating disease, a major cause of
mortality, morbidity and disability globally.
The Two Types of Stroke: Ischemic and Haemorrhagic
Ischemic stroke is the most common type, with
approximately 80% cases. It occurs due to a sudden
blockage of brain blood vessels either due to deposition
of a high level of harmful cholesterol (LDL) in the inner
layer of the blood vessels (called thrombotic stroke),
or a blood clot may arise from the heart and cause an
obstruction in the blood flow of brain blood vessels
(called cardioembolic stroke).
Haemorrhagic stroke is the second most common
cause, with approximately 20% of cases. It occurs
due to rupture of brain blood vessels caused by high
blood pressure, high sugar, rupture of an aneurysm, AV
malformation, or birth defects in the vessel wall.
TIA (Transient Ischemic Attack) is also called temporary
paralysis, in which the patient recovers within minutes
‘or a few hours without any treatment. However, this
condition must be taken seriously as a warning sign of
brain stroke.
Risk Factors
People suffering from high blood pressure, uncontrolled
diabetes, obesity, excessive stress, high LDL cholesterol,
high homocysteine, and high triglycerides are susceptible
to stroke. Excess smoking, alcohol intake, and tobacco
chewing are also risk factors. Congenital heart and
valvular heart diseases can also become the cause of
stroke, especially in paediatric patients.
Treatment
Treatment of stroke depends on the type of stroke, time
of onset, and affected area of the brain.
In the case of ischemic stroke, due to sudden blockage
of brain blood vessels, treatment is done by either
intravenous clot busters/thrombolysis or neuro-
interventional procedure like mechanical thrombectomy,
angioplasty or stenting. These procedures are performed
by the endovascular technique in the Cath Lab without
opening the skull, like cardiac angioplasty Cath Lab
procedures.
Intravenous thrombolysis can be done within 4.5 hours
from the onset of stroke, and endovascular mechanical
thrombectomy within 24 hrs in selected patients. Nearly
2 million neurons lose their functions within one minute
of an ischemic stroke. Hence early recognition of stroke
symptoms can help in timely initiation of treatment.
Treatment for haemorrhagic stroke involves emergency
clot removal in order to reduce the brain’s swelling, or
the brain bone needs to be removed and reattached
after the patient is cured.
Prevention of Stroke
Risk factors such as age, family history, and congenital
disorder cannot be controlled. However, a slight moderation
in our everyday lifestyle can greatly prevent
the occurrence of stroke.
A healthy balanced diet and at least 30 minutes of physical
exercise are beneficial to prevent stroke. Controlling
blood pressure, sugar and cholesterol levels, and quitting
smoking, alcohol and tobacco also help to prevent
stroke. Maintaining body weight according to BMI and
regular health check-ups lead to stroke prevention.
