Walid Sabry
Exercising 30 minutes a day is sufficient to prevent heart disease
Accumulation of fatty substances in the arteries is the most common cause of coronary artery disease
– Diabetes, high blood pressure, and smoking are common causes of cardiac arrhythmia
Excess weight exacerbates other heart disease risk factors
Heart failure is one of the most common complications of heart disease
A cardiologist who holds a doctorate in cardiovascular diseases, Dr. Shaima Abdel Maboud, said that the accumulation of fatty materials in the arteries, called atherosclerosis, is the most common cause of coronary artery disease.
She pointed out that risk factors include an unhealthy diet, lack of exercise, obesity and smoking, pointing out that healthy lifestyle choices can help reduce the risk of atherosclerosis.
Abdel Maboud explained that celebrating World Heart Day on September 29 of each year aims to increase awareness of heart preservation, noting that this year’s slogan is “Don’t miss a beat.”
She added that common causes of cardiac arrhythmias or medical conditions that can lead to them include:
– Heart muscle disease, called cardiomyopathy.
– Coronary artery disease.
– Diabetes.
– Using illegal drugs such as cocaine.
– Emotional tension.
– Excessive drinking of alcohol or caffeine.
– Having heart problems from birth, known as congenital heart defects.
– High blood pressure.
– Smoking.
– Heart valve diseases.
– Some medications, herbal preparations and nutritional supplements.
Regarding risk factors, she explained that risk factors associated with heart disease include:
– Age, as aging increases the risk of damage and narrowing of the arteries, in addition to weakness of the heart muscle or increased thickness of its wall.
– Sex assigned at birth, so that men are generally more susceptible to heart disease, and the risk increases in women after menopause.
– Family history, as the risk of coronary artery disease increases if there is a family history of heart disease, especially if one of the parents had it at an early age. This means before the age of fifty-five for male relatives, such as your brother or father, and age sixty-five for female relatives, such as your mother or sister.
– Smoking. If a person is a smoker, he should quit it, as tobacco smoke contains substances that are harmful to the arteries, and heart attacks are more common in people who smoke compared to people who do not smoke.
– Following an unhealthy diet: Following diets high in fat, salt, sugar, and cholesterol is linked to heart disease.
– High blood pressure: Uncontrolled high blood pressure may lead to hardening and thickening of the arteries. These changes change blood flow to the heart and body.
– High cholesterol level: High cholesterol level increases the risk of atherosclerosis. There is also a link between atherosclerosis and the occurrence of heart attack and stroke.
– Diabetes: Diabetes increases the risk of heart disease. Obesity and high blood pressure increase the risk of diabetes and heart disease.
Obesity: Excess weight usually exacerbates other heart disease risk factors.
Lack of exercise: Low physical activity is linked to exposure to many heart diseases and some of the risk factors that lead to them as well.
Stress: Emotional stress can damage arteries and exacerbate other heart disease risk factors.
– Poor dental health: Poor health of the gums and teeth contributes to germs entering the bloodstream and moving to the heart easily. This can cause an infection called endocarditis. Brush and floss your teeth regularly. Also make sure to conduct regular dental examinations.
Regarding complications, she explained that potential complications of heart disease include:
– Heart failure: It is one of the most common complications of heart disease, as the heart is unable to pump enough blood to meet the body’s needs.
– Heart attack: A heart attack can occur if a piece of plaque in an artery or a blood clot travels to the heart.
– Stroke: Risk factors that lead to heart disease can also cause ischemic stroke. This type of stroke occurs when the arteries that feed the brain are narrowed or blocked, and a very small amount of blood reaches the brain.
– Aneurysm: An aneurysm is a bulge in the wall of an artery. If the aneurysm bursts, you may experience life-threatening internal bleeding.
– Peripheral artery disease: When you have peripheral artery disease, not enough blood flows to the arms or legs, especially the legs.
This causes some symptoms, the most prominent of which is leg pain when walking, called claudication. Atherosclerosis can cause peripheral arterial disease.
– Sudden cardiac arrest. Sudden cardiac arrest is a sudden loss of heart activity, breathing, and consciousness. It is often caused by a problem in the heart’s electrical system. Sudden cardiac arrest is a medical emergency. It leads to sudden cardiac death if not treated immediately.
To prevent heart disease, she is advised to follow the same lifestyle changes used to treat it, including abstaining from smoking, following a diet low in salt and saturated fat, exercising for at least 30 minutes a day during most days of the week, and maintaining a healthy weight.
It also called for reducing and controlling stress, controlling high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes, and getting enough sleep. Adults must make sure to sleep for a period ranging between 7 and 9 hours a day, in addition to diagnosis through cardiology by performing an ECG, performing sound waves on the heart, or advanced examinations such as an exercise ECG or a CT scan of the heart’s arteries. Or magnetic resonance imaging of the heart and diagnostic and therapeutic catheterization of the coronary arteries.
