Keeping your heart healthy
Heart disease claims thousands of lives in Wales every year. Here, two top doctors explain why living a healthy lifestyle is so crucial to avoiding the condition
When we’re young we often take our health for granted. In most cases, we only start considering our lifestyle choices when we’re presented with ill health.
But how much can the choices in our younger years influence our wellbeing later on in life?
Heart disease remains the most common cause of death in the western world, therefore the ability to influence this outcome with our lifestyle choices remains important.
In our 20s and 30s it is far less common for individuals to experience heart disease.
Any cardiac issues at this stage of life are almost always congenital or genetic in nature.
But as the effects of smoking begin to take their toll, our waistlines increase and more of the population develops diabetes, the rates of cardiac disease begin to impact.
Ischemic heart disease remains the most prevalent form of heart disease.
Dr Tim Kinnard, of Spire Cardiff Hospital, said: “Ischemic heart disease is a result of a build-up of fat deposits in the coronary arteries.
“It is these arteries that transport the blood to your heart muscle, therefore anything that ‘narrows’ these passageways to any great extent may cause an individual cardiac symptoms.
“Patients should be aware of what these are so that they are able to act quickly and get the right help.”
Cardiac problems can often develop over time with the narrowing of the artery getting greater as time goes on.
Potentially poor lifestyle choices influence the rate at which this narrowing occurs.
Patients can also experience a single event with no noticeable warning.
Dr Kinnard suggests all cardiac symptoms should be considered serious and therefore require medical advice.
“It is the reduced supply of blood to the cardiac muscle that causes the presentation of symptoms,” he added.
“These can range from crushing central chest pain, to a mild heaviness in the chest, and can be coupled with left arm pain or neck and jaw pain, or a mixed of all of these.
“Ultimately, the patient usually feels very unwell and should consult medical advice straight away.
“These symptoms can build up over a period of time and become more frequent and less predictable until the coronary artery becomes completely occluded causing a heart attack.”
A lot of research has been published on the impact of lifestyle changes in the management of heart disease, with much of the reduction in cardiovascular mortality attributed to weigh loss, exercise, smoking cessation and risk factor control.
Dr Kinnard says the impact of making changes to your lifestyle cannot be underestimated.
He added: “As a cardiologist I cannot emphasise enough the importance of patients taking control of these factors to ensure they are able to minimise the impact of the disease.
“I would also stress that you don’t need to employ complicated exercise or diet regimes.
“It should be more about making sensible, sustainable changes that you can weave into your life and maintain over a long period of time.”
HHowever, not all cardiac-related issues present us with symptoms. Some issues such as high blood pressure, or hypertension, may only come to light as an incidental finding in a routine GP appointment.
Although left untreated hypertension can be serious and cause not only cardiac problems but that of stroke.
Dr Richard Anderson, a cardiologist at Spire Cardiff Hospital who has a specialist interest in the management of hypertension and atrial fibrillation, said: “High blood pressure is something that should be taken very seriously.
“The consequences of not controlling it can lead to serious events for the patient.
“Management of most hypertension or high blood pressure starts within the GP practice where patients are often receive advice on diet changes and lifestyle changes, such as reducing salt and weight management regimes which include increasing exercise capabilities.
“However, for some patients this isn’t enough and they require medical intervention.”
Dr Anderson added: “As clinicians we are fortunate to have a wide range of hypertension medication to choose and a wide range of research that supports their use.
“So when patients are commenced on their medication the importance of compliance is a factor for discussion and consideration.
“Hypertension medication will only work properly if the patient takes the medication and therefore, as clinicians, the educational aspects around blood pressure management is as important as the pharmacological.”
Prolonged hypertension with poor management can result in a number of serious outcomes such as, stroke, kidney problems, problems with the heart valves resulting in the patient becoming short of breath on exertion.
Patients who are worried about their blood pressure should seek medical advice from their GP in the first instance. About Spire Healthcare Spire Healthcare is a leading independent hospital group in the United Kingdom. It delivers high standards of care, with integrity and compassion and from high-quality facilities to insured, self-pay and NHS patients.
From its 38 hospitals, 10 clinics and two specialist cancer care centres across Wales, England and Scotland, it provides diagnostics, inpatient, day case and outpatient care.
It also owns and operates sports medicine, physiotherapy and rehabilitation brand, Perform. Working in partnership with more than 3,800 experienced consultants, its hospitals delivered tailored, personalised care to more than 274,000 inpatients and day case patients in 2016.
Spire Healthcare offers inpatient/ day case procedures in areas including orthopaedics, gynaecology, cardiology, neurology, oncology and general surgery and also diagnostic services including imaging and pathology, and is the principal independent provider by volume of knee and hip operations in the United Kingdom.
It also offers outpatient services, such as consulting, minor procedures, treatments, health checks and physiotherapy.