Santo Domingo.- heart disease They are diseases that affect the heart or blood vesselsand can manifest suddenly, being one of the main causes of death in the world.
Dr. Reyna Massiel, an internal cardiologist, warned that many heart diseases are true “silent killers”since they rarely cause symptoms until they cause serious damage as in the case of arterial hypertension.
“Some heart attacks can be silent, especially in people with diabetes. There are patients who have significantly clogged arteries and don’t know it until they get a checkup. That is why we insist so much on preventive controls: don’t wait until you have symptoms to take care of your heart. When symptoms appear, the damage can be considerable or even irreversible,” explained the echocardiographer.
Furthermore, he indicated that 80% of heart attacks and strokes can be avoided with the incorporation of healthy habitssuch as walking 30 minutes a day, eating fruits and vegetables, managing stress, not smoking, maintaining a healthy weight and routine checkups to detect heart diseases in time.
“The worrying thing is that the silent damage begins decades earlier. A 30-year-old person with overweight, sedentary and smoker is already damaging your arteries, even if the symptoms appear 20 years later,” warned cardiologist Massiel.
How to identify a heart attack?
The specialist identified some warning signs that may indicate the presence of a heart attack, such as cold, profuse sweating, nausea or vomiting, difficulty breathing, dizziness or feeling faint, and intense anxiety with feeling of imminent death.
“The classic sign is pain or intense pressure in the chest, such as If they had an elephant sitting on themwhich lasts more than a few minutes. This pain can spread to the left arm, jaw, neck, back or stomach,” explained Dr. Massiel.
The galena clarified that the symptoms vary depending on the ages of those who suffer from it, since the women, elderly and diabetics They may show extreme fatigue, digestive discomfort or simply shortness of breath, without the characteristic chest pain.
“If you have any suspicion, immediately call the emergency service. In a heart attack, every minute counts: time is cardiac muscle. The sooner it is treated, the more muscle we save and the better the prognosis,” recommended the heart specialist.
Types of heart disease
According to cardiologist Reyna Massiel, there are several types of heart disease that vary depending on the damage caused. Heart disease can cause changes in the heart rhythm, such as arrhythmias, heart failure and diseases in the heart muscle.
Massiel pointed out that ischemic heart disease manifests itself as a blockage in the arteries of the heart, causing a heart attack. However, when the valves that regulate blood flow present complications, it is a valve disease.
Difference between congenital and acquired heart disease
The echocardiographer indicated that congenital heart diseases are defects you are born withcaused by problems in the structure of the heart and formed during pregnancy.
On the other hand, acquired heart diseases are those that develop throughout lifedue to aging, lifestyle, infections or diseases such as hypertension, diabetes or high cholesterol.
“Heart problems can appear at any age. Congenital heart diseases are detected from birth or childhood. However, acquired cardiovascular problems usually develop from the age of 40-50, although we are increasingly seeing earlier cases,” added the internist.
Genetic predisposition to heart disease
Dr. Massiel explained that genetics It plays an important role in the development of heart disease, especially when there is a family history of heart attacks at an early age, before age 55 in men and 65 in women.
He pointed out that in some families conditions such as hypertension, high cholesterol and certain arrhythmias are more common, which increases the cardiovascular risk.
“Genes are not destiny“, he emphasized, indicating that maintaining a healthy weight, engaging in physical activity, avoiding tobacco and controlling blood pressure and cholesterol can make a difference.
