The month of February is National Heart Health Awareness Month. we should familiarize ourselves with the signs and symptoms of the No. 1 killer that continues to haunt this country — cardiovascular disease. it is essential to understand coronary heart disease and heart attack.
Here are several key bits of information:
Coronary heart disease (CHD) is narrowing of the small blood vessels that supply blood, nutrients, and oxygen to the heart muscle. when this occurs, the individual is diagnosed with coronary heart disease. according to the American Heart Association, 500,000 people die each year of heart attack that is caused by coronary heart disease.
CHD is caused by the buildup of both fatty buildup and cholesterol in the wall of the arteries causing hardened and narrowing that result in diminish blood supply to the heart muscle. this condition is known as atherosclerosis. The individual sometimes complain of chest pain (angina) due to the reduction of blood flow to the heart muscle. this is the early sign of a heart attack.
A heart attack occurs when the blood supply to the heart muscle is completely shut off. Some of the symptoms include chest pain — sometimes described as pressure or sharp pain — shortness of breath, indigestion, nausea, and pain between the shoulder blades, pain in one or both arms, pain in the jaw, abdominal pain, and sometimes cold or hot sweaty skin.
Can coronary heart disease be prevented?
The first and most important thing is to make regular appointments with your physician and follow-up appointments especially if there is a family history of heart disease. Change your lifestyle by eliminating high-fat foods and include regular exercise in your daily routine. for instance, walk for 30 minutes daily. this may prove beneficial in maintaining your ideal body weight. Take prescribed medications to control your blood pressure, and stop smoking. You should know your cholesterol levels and normal laboratory values for both LDH, and LDL. The Mayo Clinic released on July 21, 2010, the normal range of LDH and HDL.
Here's a look at those cholesterols:
LDH: Lactate Dehydrogenase (the bad cholesterol). It's an enzyme found in many body tissues, such as the liver, kidneys, skeletal muscles, blood cells, and lungs. this enzyme carries cholesterol — a wax-like substance — to many organs and body tissue that is beneficial for the cells. However, if there is an excess, it can build up in the body vessel and this could cause coronary heart disease and possibly a heart attack. this laboratory test is ordered to determine if there is tissue damage to rule out heart attack or other conditions. Normal LDH is 105-333 Iu/L (international units per liter). if the result is elevated, it could possibly indicate a heart attack.
HDL: High-density lipoprotein (the good cholesterol). The more elevated this number is the better because this enzyme picks up and transports excess cholesterol to the liver where it is metabolized. Normal range: men less than 40 mg/dL and in women less than 50 mg/dL.
If you witness an individual with any of the symptoms described, you should phone 911 immediately. if the person is unconscious, check for a pulse and if you are unable to feel a pulse, begin CPR immediately because a high percentage of sudden cardiac arrest victims die before arriving to the hospital. Encourage friends and family to enroll in a CPR class. this could be a matter of life or death.
Joyce Peacock is a registered nurse.