HEART TO HEART
Fazal Maeen Pakistani Physical trainer who suffered a heart attack at the age of 31.
“On the eve of my 31st birthday on June 12 this year, I had a heart attack. It was shocking as I have been a very healthconscious person all along. My friends laugh at me because I am so particular about my diet: salads, steamed vegetables, stick of fish and white meat. I exercise regularly. Having said that, I have a family history of heart disease. My mother and uncle died due to CVD. So I was always very careful.
“My blood tests showed perfect lipids, cholesterol. I do not have diabetes or hypertension. Yet the fear and stress of getting CVD owing to my family history was the major pressure. The day I got my heart attack, I was feeling uneasy, nauseous. [A while later], I actually drove back home. When the pain continued, I walked to the Aster clinic at Dragon Mart and collapsed at their reception. “They rushed me to Aster Hospital Mankhool where investigations revealed that four out of five arteries of mine were blocked. The surgeon attributed my condition to stress, lack of sleep, my fears [of getting a heart attack] and genetic factors.”
Dr Walid Abdul Hamid Medical Director and Consultant Psychiatrist at Priory Wellbeing Centre, Dubai.
“Negative life events such as grief, loss, separation and trauma
– with the associated emotions of fear, sadness, anger, discontent and frustration — can trigger stress, which has been described as a ‘silent killer’. “We find a lot of such stress in the workplace”. According to the Whitehall study in UK, this is a significant contributor to death resulting from heart disease. “Work stress and ‘burn-out’ gradually causes us to perceive tasks, people and situations as threats, triggering what we call in psychology the ‘fight-flight’ reaction. This reaction results in the secretion of stress hormones Noradrenalin and Cortisol, which cause hyper-arousal with associated anxiety, sleep disturbance, startled reactions and emotional outbursts and over time, damage the cardiovascular system, with increased blood pressure, diabetes and ischemic heart diseases.”