September 29 is marked as World Heart Day. This day was founded in the year 2000 with an aim of raising awareness about cardiovascular diseases and heart attack which takes the lives of many people across the globe.
The World Heart Federation has been playing a leading role in initiating campaigns and educating people about cardiovascular diseases.
South Africa is one of the countries affected by the phenomenon which is a heart attack. Statistics show that on an average day, in this country, about 130 people experience a heart attack.
It is also estimated that cardiovascular diseases claim more lives than all forms of cancer combined in this country.
A heart attack occurs when a blood vessel that carries oxygen to the heart becomes blocked, usually by a blood clot.
The likelihood of such a blockage increases when the blood vessels are narrowed by fatty cholesterol deposits or plaques.
This condition is referred to as coronary artery disease. Some of the factors that can lead to this are smoking, unhealthy diet, obesity and physical inactivity.
These are all called behavioural risks. There are medical risks as well and they include diabetes, hypertension, and high cholesterol.
Other risk factors like a family history of heart disease and advancing age are not ruled out as well.
The main message being conveyed this World Heart Day is that heart attacks can be prevented by understanding and managing the risks associated with it.
Living a healthy and active lifestyle is highly recommended by experts in the field of health and medicine.
“We want every South African to understand the link between lifestyle, chronic health conditions and heart attacks,” said medical director at Boehringer Ingelheim Shanil Naidoo.
“Lifestyle changes and proactive health management can pay enormous dividends – not only in terms of quality of life but also in terms of avoiding the trauma of a heart attack.”
Giving up smoking and exercising while eating healthy can do wonders for one’s health. Below are some of the important points to know about heart attack.
What does a heart attack feel like?
- There is heavy pressure, tightness, unusual discomfort or crushing pain in the centre of the chest.
- This may spread to the shoulders, arms, neck or jaw.
- It may last more than 15 minutes and could stop or weaken and then return.
- This may be accompanied by sweating, nausea, faintness or shortness of breath.
- The pulse could be rapid or weak.
Important things to note
- Women may have different symptoms to men, with more pronounced nausea, dizziness, and anxiety.
- A heart attack can be silent and produce no signs or symptoms.
- A sharp stabbing pain in the left of the chest is usually not heart pain.
What to do if you experience or witness a heart attack
- If unexplained chest pain lasts for more than a few minutes, do not delay, do not try and figure out the cause, call an ambulance and state that you are dealing with a suspected heart attack.
- If the ambulance is delayed, access private transport to get to the emergency department of the nearest hospital. On arrival, advise the staff this is a suspected heart attack.
- If you have been trained and you are near a person who loses consciousness due to these symptoms, perform chest compressions at a rate of about 100 per minute.
