The problem of preventing heart failure in women and men is one of the most important for modern medicine. Heart disease takes first place in danger, because more often than others provoke deaths. To improve the situation, it is necessary to work with the general population, explaining what the danger is, what provokes the disease and how they can be avoided.
general information
For modern doctors, the prevention of heart failure and stroke is one of the key areas of work. This applies to both general practitioners and highly specialized professionals involved in heart and vascular system health. The disease most often than others initiates a serious condition of the patient, including incompatible with life. In most large cities, there are clinics that have expensive equipment to check the health of the client, but not everyone can apply for such services.
Preventive measures begin with increasing the literacy of the population in the matter under consideration. Heart failure is usually preceded by atherosclerosis. Against this background, angina pectoris forms, the risk of a heart attack increases, the speed and heart rate get lost. The next steps are heart failure and the risk of sudden death. Atherosclerosis is rightly called one of the most insidious diseases of our time.
Atherosclerosis: features
Prevention of heart failure in men and women involves the timely diagnosis of this disease and the adoption of measures to correct pathology. The problem is that the disease develops latently. For many years and even decades, the patient feels great, does not complain about anything, does not visit the clinic. Such people usually do not pay much attention to the importance of a healthy lifestyle, believing that they are all very well. There are many cases when the first manifestation of atherosclerosis was a heart attack or stroke. In some, the very first manifestations of the disease are forced to urgently go to bed with an operation to remove a limb.
In recent years, an atypical course of the disease has been observed more often. A person does not feel specific heart pains, a heart attack is more like a cold, it can easily be confused with infection of the intestinal tract or tonsillitis, inflammation of the appendix or peptic ulcer. For heart failure similar to the manifestations of acute respiratory viral infections, prevention is especially important, including improving the literacy of the population in this matter. In practice, many go to the doctor when the condition is neglected, and the only thing possible is to minimize the dire consequences of the acute stage. It is far from always possible to return to the patient the opportunity to continue to live a full life.
Hazards: is it possible to control?
Doctors have been talking about symptoms, treatment, and prevention of heart failure for a long time. Back in 2003, in the world-famous magazine dedicated to cardiology, material was published that recorded recommendations for the prevention of heart and vascular diseases. The collection of tips was based on clinical observations. It was noted here: in order to start preventive measures on time, it is necessary to immediately determine for which people the dangers are increased. At the same time, facts to be corrected and uncorrectable must be taken into account.
The best results of preventive measures are observed among people belonging to the maximum risk group. These are people who at least once suffered from cardiac ischemia, localized atherosclerosis in the legs or a similar pathology of the cerebral artery. At the same time, the effectiveness of the practice of preventive measures was recognized among people who do not have heart pain, but cholesterol exceeds 8 units or low-density lipoproteins more than six units, pressure above 180/110 units. A similar relationship is required for diabetics if the study showed microalbuminuria. The immediate blood relatives of people suffering from atherosclerosis from an early age belong to the group of particular risk.
Figures and observations
American scientists who have been involved in the prevention and treatment of heart failure for two decades have noted that general interventions help reduce the risk by more than half, and for coronary strokes, the risk is reduced by a third. In the 80s of the last century, research was organized in the USSR, using the capacities of the state’s largest cardiology center. It has been proven that a systematic multi-factorial warning helps reduce the likelihood of deaths by 22%, the risk of death from heart and blood vessel diseases decreases by 41%, and a percentage more from heart attack.
What does it mean?
If a person has revealed atherosclerosis, the doctor at the reception will definitely advise you to adjust the lifestyle. As part of the prevention of cardiovascular failure, the professional will select the appropriate medicines that the patient will have to use with the regularity agreed upon by the specialist. These two approaches are key preventative measures.
If the disease does not provoke typical symptoms, it is necessary to assess the risks using the international patient analysis scale. It determines how high the risk of encountering complications in the next decade. Based on the results obtained, the doctor will select lifestyle correction measures and choose which medications are shown to the patient. Sometimes the need for medicines does not arise, but only a specialist can accurately determine their relevance in a particular case.
When the risks are small
Sometimes a person gets an appointment for whom the probability of complications, although more than zero, is still negligible. This is considered an assessment of the possibility of complications of 5% or less. The doctor, having received such an analysis during the analysis, should advise the client to lead a healthy lifestyle. The main task of a person is to maintain current status. If the likelihood of complications is small, you need to maintain a satisfactory course of the case as long as possible with non-medication, so that you do not have to take the drugs. The later you need to resort to medical correction, the better for a person.
Risks: what are they made of?
To explain to the patient how to lead a healthy lifestyle as part of the prevention of chronic heart failure, you must first give him an understanding of the aspects that form such a daily routine. According to well-known European doctors, the dangers are due to malnutrition, the use of tobacco products and lack of physical activity. Lifestyle is not an instantaneous occurrence, but habit-forming habits over the years.
Even if a person understands the importance of preventive measures, realizes the risks inherent in him, it is rather difficult to change a lifestyle. One-time communication with the doctor is usually not enough. This is especially difficult if a person does not have social protection, his economic situation is unstable. It is known that it is more difficult for those who are forced to deal with stress and people who do not have friendly and kindred support.
Factors and their influence
As studies have shown, the prevention of chronic heart failure is given with great difficulty to people with depression, as well as individuals who are characterized by anger, irritability and aggressiveness. All these qualities and mental states turn into a serious obstacle to a change in lifestyle. Preventive measures are often literally broken down on such features of a person.
According to advanced doctors, one of the important tasks of a specialist is already during the initial conversation with the needy to understand his personality traits, resorting to leading questions. The doctor assesses how realistic it is to cope on your own or if you need to attract a psychologist, psychotherapist. Often people need pharmacological correction of depression. In recommendations published for international use, special emphasis is placed on the need to exert maximum efforts to eliminate a negative psychological situation. At the same time, one must adequately assess one's strengths.
Simple and affordable
According to qualified doctors, the prevention of heart failure with folk remedies is ineffective, only leads to a loss of time and increased danger to humans. There are simple recommendations, general rules, the effectiveness of which is proved by research and observation. It is safe and guaranteed to resort to them, which cannot be said about untested healers' recipes, which often require the use of plants containing toxic components.
The first step in wishing a person’s health is to recognize the connection between health and behavior. It is necessary to psychologically abandon bad habits, realizing why this is important. A person must understand what factors of the development of the disease are corrected by his efforts. Non-drug measures should be used, and pharmaceutical products should be taken as needed.
Smoking and eating
The first and most important preventive measure for heart failure (acute and chronic) is the exclusion of tobacco products. The task of the doctor at the reception is to talk with the patient, explain the dangers and assess how much the person is ready to abandon the bad habit. If the patient wishes to refuse nicotine, it is worth asking the help of a doctor. Realizing that this is important for others than the danger of smoking, a person is gaining strength faster to give up a bad habit.
The second most important aspect of the prevention of acute heart failure is the review of diet and diet. To understand how to eat correctly, it is recommended to consult a doctor. Special diets have been developed to reduce the risk of developing and exacerbating the disease. By choosing a diet, you can reduce weight and improve the blood fat profile, stabilize blood pressure. It must be remembered that nutrition is one of the factors that cause blood clots and increase the concentration of sugars in the vascular system.
How to eat correctly?
As part of the prevention of heart failure, the diet should be reviewed so that the food is varied. It is necessary to control the energy balance. A sufficient amount of nutrients must be supplied with food so that the body has an energy reserve for daily activity. A properly selected diet will help maintain a healthy weight. A person prone to heart disease needs to include vegetables and fruits in the diet. Cereals and dishes made from cereals will benefit. Preference is given to food, which contains as little fatty components as possible. If meat dishes are served at the table, you need to use lean varieties to prepare them. The diet fits perfectly with marine fish.
Good prevention of heart failure with simple and affordable methods is filling the diet with polyunsaturated fatty compounds. Omega-3s will benefit. Any oily fish contains these substances. Many doctors advise supplementing the diet with fish oil.
Rules and regulations
When practicing the prevention of heart failure through nutrition, the intake of fatty substances with food should be monitored. They should account for no more than a third of all calories consumed in one day. Saturated in this volume should be up to a third. The rest are unsaturated forms of acids. Equally important is monitoring your cholesterol intake. With food per day, it is allowed to absorb up to 0.3 g of this substance.
Forming a daily diet as part of heart failure prevention, it is recommended to include more ingredients containing carbohydrates, replacing them with foods rich in saturated fatty compounds. Seafood and vegetables contain mono-fats, polyunsaturated options. Such for humans are relatively safe if they enter the body in moderate amounts. A special diet is necessary for diabetic disease, dyslipidemia, high blood pressure. For all these pathologies, the nutritionist forms the menu.
Day after day
Doctors have developed a system for dividing into groups of patients with acute cardiovascular failure. Classification, clinic, prevention - considerable attention is paid to all these aspects. Prevention of the disease must necessarily include measures to revise lifestyle in the aspect of motor activity. The load level must be chosen strictly individually. The task lies with an experienced cardiologist.
Physical activity should reduce the danger to humans, without creating additional inconvenience. In no case should you overload the heart. The classic prophylactic measure for coronary artery disease is the allocation of daily walking, easy running no more than half an hour. If a person cannot spend so much time on activity or his physical condition does not allow this for some reason, it is worth trying more moderate options. Perhaps their effect will not be so pronounced, but nevertheless it will prove to be a positive trend and a reduction in the risk of acute heart disease.
Safety first
A healthy person can safely engage in up to 45 minutes. Four to five lessons are recommended per week. A good effect is observed if the heart rate rises to 75% relative to the upper normal border for the age group.
For diagnoses that force physical activity to be limited, the load is selected by first evaluating the patient’s condition. In clinical conditions, they do special tests. The classic version is treadmill. The doctor selects a rehabilitation program, building on the information received. Another way to assess the patient's condition is bicycle ergometry testing.
About categories
Acute cardiovascular failure is of two types:
The division is determined by which ventricle of the heart is affected.
Chronic types are divided into three stages:
- initial;
- pronounced;
- dystrophic.
In the pronounced, two subgroups are distinguished: moderate and deep disorders.
The first stage of heart failure includes the symptoms of prolonged blood flow insufficiency. In the second stage, symptoms of prolonged blood flow insufficiency, impaired blood dynamics, fluid stagnation are observed. Such are in a state of movement and rest. A person suffering from the second stage is partially able-bodied. The third stage includes persistent weakness of blood flow, metabolism. Internal organs are structurally irreversibly transformed, general exhaustion is observed.
Clinical picture
The manifestations of AOS include cardiac asthma, edema of the alveoli. Attacks usually occur amid intense experience or physical exertion. A person feels a lack of air, the heart often beats and beats violently, a cough disturbs, sputum is excreted with difficulty. The patient is weak, sweating is noticeable. Orthopnea is characteristic. The doctor notices blanching of the skin, gray subtona, acrocyanosis, shortness of breath. The pulse is rapid, weakened, without a stable rhythm, the pressure drops.
As you progress, the lungs swell. Choking, cough, sputum of a pinkish tint, foaming are observed. At a distance you can hear how a person breathes, wheezes. Orthopnea is characteristic, the face acquires a bluish tint, noticeable venous swelling, especially on the neck. The skin is covered with sweat, pulse without rhythm, rapid, threadlike, low blood pressure. Edema requires the urgent provision of qualified care and with a high degree of probability provokes a fatal outcome.