The death rate from cardiovascular disease has been increasing at a continuous rate. Each year, 54,530 persons die from cardiovascular disease, which is an average of 150 persons per day or 6 persons per hour. Reference: The information of Ministry of Public Health, B.E. 2556 (2013).
Risk factors of heart disease
• Age starts with number 4: 40 is the age that must take great care of their health. (Currently, the rate of heart disease has increased in people 30-40 years old.)
• Heredity: Those who have a family history or father or mother who has heart disease are at risk of having heart disease.
• Gender: Males have a greater risk of having heart disease than females.
• Smoking
• High lipid profile: People with high lipid profile have a greater risk of having heart disease than those with a normal or lower lipid profile because the fat will cling to the artery wall and clog the blood vessels, especially the coronary artery.
• Diabetes: Having an abnormally high blood sugar level for a long time without good control is another factor that can weaken the artery wall and cause ischemic heart disease.
• High blood pressure: Another important risk factor as high blood pressure does not mean that the blood has better pressure to flow to other organs of the body than in those with normal blood pressure. In contrast, the blood vessels will constrict and cause lack of blood to the heart.
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Feeling tired easily while exercising or walking fast. Having difficulty breathing all the time or while exercising or exerting a lot of energy, or only occurring at nighttime. The symptoms of heart disease is chest pain or pressure in the middle of the chest or on the left side or both sides. You will have difficulty laying down as normal because you will feel tired while breathing and feel uncomfortable around the chest. Moreover, you may wake up in the night due to gasping for air. You may faint for unknown reason. Swelling of legs or feet may occur for unknown reason, or the end of your hands and feet and lips turn blue.
How to check whether you have heart disease or not
• The doctor will begin by asking about your history and anything unusual, including the risk factors of the patient.
• The doctor will perform a physical check-up throughout the body and all systems of the body, including the cardiovascular system by listening to the heartbeat and measuring the blood pressure.
• Perform chest x-ray and electrocardiogram (EKG) by placing small conductive media on various spots of the body, which are chest, arms, and legs. Then, the graph will show the electric waves for the doctor to read and diagnose the severity level of the disease. The Exercise Stress Test (EST) is a test where patients must walk or run on a conveyor to stimulate the heart to beat faster to see changes in the electrocardiogram. For those who are not ready to run on the conveyor, the Echocardiography will be used to look at the anatomy of the heart, the thickness of the artery wall, the movement, and contraction. This method can diagnose all types of heart disease.
• The CT Coronary Artery is a diagnosis to find the blood vessels that are constricted due to clinging of fat in the arteries, which is the cause of acute coronary artery disease that can lead to a heart attack. It can also help the doctor to control and properly treat the risk factors of heart disease. Moreover, it can be used to check the function of heart muscle and pericardium.
• If you think you might have heart disease, a Coronary Angiography using contrast media provides a clear diagnosis and picture of the coronary arteries, also known as Cardiac Catherization.
Paolo Hospital Phaholyothin Tel : 0-2271-7000
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