Heart Health

By Oriol Bolaño

About 37 million people around the globe suffer a cardiovascular disease or event each year, and approximately 17 million die from this cause. In Mexico, this group of diseases constitutes a public health problem since heart diseases represent the primary cause of death each year with about 70,000 deaths for this reason, and 26,000 for cerebrovascular diseases.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), most cardiovascular diseases can be prevented when treatment addresses all risk factors globally. Thus, for example, high blood pressure should be treated at the same time as elevated cholesterol. And it is that high blood pressure and high cholesterol level, separately, represent a risk for the person—but if they are together, the risk does not add up: it multiplies!

The main risk factors are elevated lipid values, diabetes, overweight, and obesity. Primary prevention for the general public should focus on maintaining a body mass index (BMI) below 25 kg/m2, eating a healthy diet, avoiding tobacco, blood pressure below 140/90 mm Hg, LDL cholesterol below 130 mg/dL, HDL cholesterol greater than 35 mg/dL and glycosylated hemoglobin less than 6.5%. Secondary prevention should focus on smoking less, hypoglycemic agents, antihypertensives, lipid-altering therapies, weight loss, and diet modification.

There are many heart diseases, but the most common are: heart attack or myocardial infarction which is characterized by the narrowing of the blood vessels responsible for carrying blood to the heart; cerebrovascular diseases caused by intracerebral bleeding or by a blood clot deposited in the brain; and hypertension which is high blood pressure and one of the biggest risks of having a heart attack. Different tests are used to diagnose heart disease—in addition to blood tests and a chest x-ray, tests to diagnose heart disease may include electrocardiogram, troponin T, and cholesterol analysis. An electrocardiogram is a quick and painless test that records the electrical signals of the heart. It can tell if the heart is beating too fast or too slow. Troponin T is a protein found in heart muscle. Measuring troponin T using a highly sensitive troponin T test allows healthcare providers to diagnose a heart attack and determine the risk of heart disease. Increased troponin T levels are associated with an increased risk of heart disease in people without symptoms. A cholesterol test, also called a lipid profile, measures the levels of fat in the blood. The measurements can help determine your risk of having a heart attack or other heart disease.

These types of diseases are easier to treat when they are detected early, so it is advisable to have tests done regularly especially if you have a family history of these diseases.