By Kartika Suresh
Few decades ago heart attacks was related to aged persons above 60yrs.Now the rise of heart attacks in young people globally, especially among south Indians, is a concerning trend. Any condition that puts a strain on the heart or damages heart tissue can increase the risk of sudden death of both men and women
There is a misconception that a heart attack occurs when plaque in the artery progressively builds up to a point where it finally blocks off. For almost everyone, plaque is building up in their coronary arteries starting from a young age. Plaque is made up of deposits of fats, cholesterol and other substances .The most vulnerable plaque in the artery ruptures and pieces of it move to smaller blood vessels, blocking them by clot formation by which it reduces blood flow through an artery causing heart attacks. As we all know chest pain radiating to left hand, cold sweats with shortness of breath, and at times indigestion can mask the heart attack.
Brisk walking for 150 min/week, healthy lifestyle & cardio workouts, periodical checkups are the only ways to prevent it. It is essential to evaluate ourselves yearly once so that we can rectify our abnormal values in case we had it .
A personal experience of how indigestion masks the heart attacks:
On a new year eve of morning3am, I received a call from my father in law (72yrs)stating had few episodes of vomiting from 1am.He was already a known case of Ischemic Heart disease on medicines including aspirin. He never mentioned any sort of breathlessness or pain, but instead told having some kind of stomach upset with burning sensation .Visiting hospital by 4am in ECG it was found he had a heart attack and oxygen levels were low .He was stable, conscious. Few minutes later he passed away. Indigestion also masks the heart attack at times. We thought it was indigestion because of some food never had an idea it would be heart attack. Quick response is needed as health status is deteriorating in many people commonly now in spite of advanced facilities.