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Caring For Your Heart
By Amy Poffenbarger
Feb 08, 2001 -- February is American Heart Month--a reminder that heart disease remains the number one cause of death for both men and women in the U.S. It's a disease with strong genetic links, but plenty can be done to prevent heart disease."You can't change your family, but you can change your lifestyle," says Larry S. Dean, M.D., director of the new University of Washington Regional Heart Center.
Though older adults often have other health problems that complicate things when cardiovascular disease presents itself, you're never too young or too old to keep heart trouble in check.
Keeping the Killer at Bay
The term heart disease broadly includes coronary disease, hypertension and stroke. Smoking, dietary fat and cholesterol, and a sedentary lifestyle all contribute to the development of cardiovascular disease.
Smoking is especially hard on the heart because nicotine restricts blood flow. Nicotine is also implicated in a condition known as atherosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries. This increases stress on the heart, and can result in heart attack or stroke.
High cholesterol levels play a significant role in atherosclerosis. Fortunately, our cholesterol levels can be modified by what we eat. Diets rich in grains, legumes, fruits and vegetables, and low in cholesterol and saturated fat--along with regular exercise--have proven to be highly effective in keeping cardiovascular disease in check.
Medications are also available to reduce the risk of heart attack. Some help control cholesterol levels: statins raise HDL--the "good" cholesterol--in the bloodstream, while other medications lower LDL, the "bad" lipids. Still other medications, such as aspirin, help prevent dangerous blood clots from forming. (Aspirin therapy should only be used under a doctor's supervision.)
First Signs of Trouble
When high cholesterol is left unchecked, cardiac problems may arise. Chest pain, or angina, may be the first sign of trouble. Angina may last for a couple of minutes--it may feel like a heavy pressure in the chest, or come with pain or a tingling sensation in the shoulder or arm. Light-headedness or shortness of breath can also signal serious problems.
Don't second-guess your symptoms as heartburn or indigestion! When mid-chest discomfort persists, get to a hospital. "The longer you wait, the worse the outcome will be if you are having a heart attack," Dr. Dean says.
Treating Heart Disease
"There are four levels to cardiovascular care," says Dr. Edward Verrier, co-director of the center's cardiothoracic surgery program. The first level is attending to general cardiovascular health--managing existing heart conditions by quitting smoking, reviewing diet and exercise habits, and considering medication.
Once a problem presents itself, care moves to the second level: diagnostics. If a person has chest pain or shortness of breath, diagnostic evaluation will tell a cardiologist what's going on inside the heart so the problem can be treated before an "event," or heart attack, occurs.
Today, cardiology patients benefit from both non-surgical and surgical techniques for the treatment of heart disease. Treatments such as stents, off-pump bypass, and coronary radiation therapy are all areas of continuing research at the University of Washington.
"This level of cardiovascular care includes stress tests, echocardiograms, catheterizations and heart surgery for adult congenital lesions, valve or heart muscle problems, or infections in the heart," says Dr. Verrier.
The fourth level of cardiac care includes complex surgeries for implantation of assist devices, and heart transplants.
While the science is there to help take care of heart conditions, the best way to solve heart problems is to prevent them from happening in the first place. "The important thing about cardiovascular care is that it's never too late to take care of your heart," says Dr. Dean.
For more information, contact the University of Washington Regional Heart Center at 1-800-4-UW-DOCS, or www.washington.edu/medical/uwmc/uwmc_specialty.html. Contact the American Heart Association at 1-800-562-6718, or www.americanheart.org.
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