Myocardial infarction is a serious threat to human life. About 50% of patients die before the arrival of medical care, and 30% of survivors in the first stage die from complications of the disease. It was previously believed that heart attack was an age-related disease, the majority of patients were older than 50 years. But today this indicator has changed, more and more heart attack overtakes its victims in 30-35 years. Disappointing statistics indicate that the prevention of myocardial infarction becomes more important every year. After all, explaining to a person how to avoid serious danger is much easier than putting him on his feet after a heart attack.
Coronary artery disease
Coronary disease is a pathological condition in which the blood supply to the myocardium is completely or partially disturbed due to damage to the coronary arteries. A healthy body maintains a balance between the amount of incoming blood and the metabolic needs of the myocardium. With coronary heart disease, this balance is not maintained. The heart muscle does not receive oxygen, as a result, a person may have a heart attack or angina attacks begin. Heart attack is one of the most complex manifestations of coronary heart disease (CHD). Timely prevention of myocardial infarction helps to avoid problems and maintain health and performance.
More about heart attack
A heart attack is the death of a certain part of the heart muscle as a result of the cessation of blood supply. Blood flow can be blocked by cholesterol plaques or a blood clot from a blood clot in an artery. The process is developing very quickly and is irreversible. Even if it was possible to save the person, it is impossible to restore the site prone to necrosis, in this place the muscle tissue is gradually replaced by scar tissue. In the future, the scar prevents the full functioning of the heart muscle.
Most often, a heart muscle (myocardium) is prone to heart attack. But a heart attack of the brain, part of the intestine or kidney may occur.
Is a cerebral infarction a stroke?
Putting an equal sign between these terms is not entirely correct. A stroke is a violation of blood circulation in the brain with a violation of its functions, damage to tissue sites. This disease is also called apoplexy stroke. Brain infarction is only one of the subspecies of this process, in addition to necrosis, hemorrhage in the brain or subarachnoid space can occur. A stroke has focal or cerebral neurological symptoms. Even if they managed to help a person, neurological disorders occur, due to which the patient may partially or completely lose control of his own body and speech.
Heart attack in men
It has been proven that men have more risk factors leading to a heart attack. A strong half of humanity is more aggressive, has a tendency to compete, often scandals and experiences stress. In addition, men smoke more and take alcohol more often, many of them are obese, but continue a sedentary lifestyle. Neglect of a healthy lifestyle leads to manifestations of atherosclerosis, angina pectoris and arrhythmia. Therefore, the prevention of heart attack in men is of great importance. If a man does not want to take care of his health, then he is more likely to not live to retirement age. Moreover, the symptoms of a heart attack in men are often unexpressed. If there is no sudden death, then the development of a heart attack can proceed even without loss of consciousness, causing unaccountable anxiety, nausea, vomiting and dull pain behind the sternum.
Heart attack in women
At a young age, women are less likely to have an acute heart attack. This is due to the characteristics of the hormonal background in their body. And besides, women most often lead a more ordered lifestyle and take their health more seriously.
However, after 50 years, statistics change dramatically. After menopause, the likelihood of a heart attack increases dramatically, overcoming even male indicators. Heart attack prevention for women is of particular importance, since their mortality rate from this disease is much higher. The early signs of a heart attack in them are similar to overwork or flu infection, which often leads to medical errors. Many patients did not feel any discomfort before developing acute signs of chest pain. The most common symptom in women is shortness of breath and difficulty breathing after minor physical activity, which do not go away even after rest.
Preventive measures. Medications
Since people with manifestations of hypertension, atherosclerosis, coronary artery disease and high blood pressure (blood pressure) are most prone to heart attacks and strokes, doctors often prescribe medication for heart attack prevention. Drugs, for example, interfere with the formation of blood clots. The most common destination after forty years is Aspirin. Acetylsalicylic acid, in pharmacies this medicine is most often called that way, it is prescribed in the minimum dosage - 100 mg one-time in the afternoon. "Aspirin" reduces the ability of blood cells to aggregate (gluing into clots). As a result, microcirculation improves and the risk of thrombosis is reduced. But the drug has a number of contraindications, the main of which are a tendency to bleeding, hemophilia, ulcers.
Based on aspirin, several drugs have been created that are used to prevent a heart attack. The drugs are available under the names: “Thrombo ACC”, “Thrombogard 100”, “Aspirin cardio”, “Cardiomagnyl”.
An important task is the prevention of heart attacks and strokes against hypertension. In this case, calcium channels are blocked by drugs, stimulating the expansion of blood vessels. Drugs for the prevention of stroke and heart attack in patients with high blood pressure are always selected individually. The dosage is prescribed by the attending physician. Appointments often featured Norvask, Plendil, Cardin, and others. Additionally, beta-blocker administration may be prescribed.
Medicinal prophylaxis of heart attack includes drugs to lower cholesterol. To do this, statins are prescribed: Lipitor, Krestor, Vitorin, and other medicines. The drug "Ariescor" is very popular among doctors. It allows you to influence the level of cholesterol, prevents atherosclerosis and reduces the size of plaques in the vessels. Statin treatment always requires a special purpose, because after receiving the expected result, the drug will have to be taken in minimum doses constantly.
Primary prevention measures. Lack of exercise - enemy number 1
Prevention of heart attack is divided into primary and secondary. Primary measures include treatment of coronary heart disease and cholesterol control. This also includes normalization of pressure. It is not always possible to achieve the necessary results only with the use of medications. Most often, you have to additionally revise your lifestyle.
Nutrition of the heart muscle is significantly dependent on regular physical activity. A sedentary lifestyle not only leads to obesity, but also contributes to the deposition of cholesterol plaques in the vessels. That is why doctors recommend walking, jogging and swimming to their patients as a means of preventing heart attack. The regularity of loads is important here, not sports records.
With a tendency to atherosclerosis and ischemia, you should not engage in weightlifting and other power sports. And you should remember that any physical activity should be accompanied by rhythmic breathing. It is harmful to delay breathing in and out during exercise.
Balanced diet
Abundant feasts, overeating, fatty dishes, fried meat, buns and sweets for many are a daily diet. But the prevention of heart attack in this area is aimed at the transition to a balanced diet. A person should receive the necessary amount of protein, but at the same time avoid fatty foods, choosing dietary varieties of meat (chicken breast, turkey, rabbit). In the diet should be a large number of vegetables and fruits. In addition, attention is drawn to the vitamin content of foods. It is advisable to diversify your diet so that you get the maximum amount of trace elements and vitamins with food.
Weight loss
In this case, we are no longer talking about an attractive figure, but about the need to reduce body fat. Prevention of myocardial infarction, stroke and other manifestations of coronary disease includes mandatory normalization of weight. The fact is that adipose tissue has many blood vessels, and this increases the load on the heart muscle. Being overweight affects the stability of blood pressure and increases the likelihood of diabetes. All this does not make a person more healthy, but rather leads to a deterioration in the quality of life.
For weight control, a special indicator of the mass index is recommended. To calculate it, body weight is divided by the square of a person’s height. Upon receipt of an index above 30, weight correction is necessary.
Bad habits
Refusing bad habits can be considered one of the main ways to prevent a heart attack. Smokers do not agree that nicotine provokes heart attacks, they argue that there is no direct evidence for this. However, there is direct evidence that a cigarette provokes a narrowing of the lumen of the vessels, and this increases the risk of heart attack. Therefore, heart attack prevention includes quitting smoking.
Alcohol is harder. Of course, alcoholics can be called healthy people only in an ironic context, but small doses of alcohol have a positive effect on blood vessels. A person who drinks several sips of dry wine at lunch or dinner is less likely to suffer from atherosclerosis. But our mentality often requires a “continuation of the banquet." It’s difficult to stop at a few sips of wine, and alcohol abuse begins. As a result, a person becomes an alcoholic and dies of cirrhosis. Do you need it?
Regular examinations
At least once a year, each person should undergo a preventive medical examination. This requirement is a preventive measure in case of threat not only of a heart attack, but also of many other pathological conditions. Be sure to include in the physical examination an ECG, an analysis for cholesterol and a blood glucose level.
Self control
To prevent a heart attack, it is important to learn how to control emotions in stressful conditions, prevent depression and adhere to the regimen. The ability to calm down in time, as they say, doesn’t take problems to heart, does not hold grudges and does not accumulate bitterness is very important for a person who thinks about his health. Excessive experiences lead to vasospasm, which reduces the flow of blood to the heart muscle. Hence the increased risk of heart attack.
Secondary prevention
Secondary heart attack prevention - a set of measures aimed at preventing re-infarction in a patient. Even if rehabilitation after partial myocardial necrosis is successful, and the person feels quite healthy, from a medical point of view he will never be healthy. It is with this thought that it is most difficult for patients to come to terms. In order not to have a repeated heart attack, a person will have to take a certain set of drugs for the rest of his life. It can be very difficult to convince patients of this, they begin to violate the prescribed medication schedule and provoke a recurrence of the problem.
Prevention after a heart attack includes all the positions mentioned earlier. However, physical activity will now require additional monitoring by specialists. Most often, physical activity begins with a quiet unhurried walk for 10 minutes. Diet optimization is carried out by a nutritionist in conjunction with a treating cardiologist. Diet not only limits fatty and fried foods, but also reduces the amount of salt and fluid.
Of great importance for secondary prevention is the social rehabilitation of the patient. It is necessary to eliminate constant anxiety and fear of re-infarction, this can be achieved by the appointment of sedatives. It is important that the patient does not get hung up on his problems and does not try to arouse sympathy among relatives and friends. He should strive to restore activity and try to self-service himself.
Gradually, following the recommendations of the doctor, taking the prescribed anticoagulants and statins, a person can return to the usual rhythm of life. However, preventive examinations for him should now be a regular supplement.
Help traditional medicine
Traditional medicine can not replace taking aspirin or statins, but can significantly reduce the risk of heart attack. So, to lower cholesterol, a special alcoholic infusion is used, which includes:
- half a glass of dried peel of a radish (black);
- half a glass of dried horseradish leaves;
- one pod of dried red pepper;
- a few handfuls of walnut partitions.
All components are filled with alcohol and insist in the dark for 2 weeks. The composition is used for grinding.
The infusion of white willow bark is highly effective. Its action is similar to Aspirin, but does not completely replace the use of this drug.
To reduce cholesterol, you can drink a decoction from the collection of herbs with honey. The collection includes: chamomile, St. John's wort, immortelle, birch buds. Brewed a tablespoon of the collection of 0.5 liters of boiling water. The drug is infused before taking it for several hours.
To preserve healthy vessels and heart everyone can do. Simple recommendations set forth in the article will help to avoid such trouble as repeated heart attack. Prevention, treatment are very important for the patient, so do not neglect them. A heart attack is not a sentence. With the right attitude towards your body, in the end you can get a rich and long life.