Pick up signs early, don’t wait too long
PREVENTION Unexplained discomfort or change in pattern of activity
needs to be taken seriously
NEW DELHI: Pain or discomfort in the chest may be the most
commonly known signs of a heart attack. But health experts warn that not every
person having a heart attack may experience this. And that is why it becomes
imperative to be aware of the typical warning signs to pick up a heart attack
before it strikes someone.
ARVIND
YADAV/HTRegular
exercises, yoga and dietary modifications help prevent fat deposition in blood
vessels.
“Classic early signs of a heart attack are when a person feels
some level of discomfort in the chest or otherwise while doing some activity
that was earlier done with ease. The change in pattern, no matter how mild,
spells trouble,” says Dr Naresh Trehan, cardiac surgeon and chairman, Medanta
Hospital, Gurgaon.
Heart specialists especially warn those who are at a high risk
of developing a heart attack. “People who have a family history of a heart
attack, suffer from high blood pressure, diabetes, have high cholesterol levels
need to be doubly cautious,” said Dr Trehan.
In fact, any unexplained discomfort needs to be taken seriously:
shoulder ache, compressed chest, and shortness of breath, just to name a few.
Doctors say one must see a doctor if the symptoms recur.
“People have a habit of dilly-dallying and in the process losing
precious time. I recently saw this 35-year-old man who was just minutes away
from having a heart attack when he came to us. He mistook chest compression
with gas and had been taking anti-acids for nearly a week,” said Dr Upendra
Kaul, executive director and dean, cardiology, Fortis Hospital, Vasant Kumj.
Considering the age of heart attacks has come down to the late
20s nowadays, people should start preventive health check-ups as soon as they
are 25 years old.
“Fat starts depositing in the blood vessels over a period of
time; what one eats in childhood has a direct bearing on heart health as an
adult. Parents should ensure the child takes part in sports activities in
school and avoids regular consumption of junk food that is harmful for the
vessels,” said Dr Kaul.
The common preventive tests that can be done are blood tests to
check lipid profile once in a year, measuring blood pressure once in six months
and also blood cholesterol once in six months.
In case of any suspicion, see a doctor for further specialised
tests such as a stress echo, tread mill test etc,. For confirmation, a computed
tomography angiography (CTA) technique used to visualise arterial and venous
vessels throughout the body is most appropriate.
Dr KK Aggarwal, senior consultant physician, head, cardiology
and dean of the board of medical education, Moolchand Medcity, swears by his
formula of two for detecting heart abnormalities. “If you can walk two
kilometers, if you can climb two flight of stairs and if you can have sex
without any discomfort it means you are fine.” correction In the story, ‘Never
Too Young for a Heart Attack’, published on September 26, it was mentioned that
Nekhil Karan Chawla smoked 60 packets of cigarettes in a day. It is 6. The
error is regretted.
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