REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA — Heart disease is also known assilent killer“. According to Harvard Medical School, an estimated 45 percent of all heart attack came without symptoms.
A new study published in Annals of Internal Medicine found that almost half of the participants were found to have signs heart disease coronary artery disease or atherosclerosis, namely plaque buildup in the arteries that can restrict blood flow. In fact, they previously had no symptoms.
Researchers from Copenhagen University Hospital, Denmark, studied more than 9,000 people aged 40 years and older who had no symptoms and no history of heart disease. The doctor uses an angiogram, which is a medical picture that shows the inside of the heart to determine the result.
Slightly more than half of the participants had no signs of heart disease. However, 36 percent had “nonobstructive disease,” which means there is plaque buildup in the arteries but not enough to cause a blockage.
Another 10 percent had “obstructive disease,” which involves significant plaque buildup that can narrow or block arteries. Those who exhibit both obstructive and extensive disease are at the highest risk of future heart attack.
In about 3.5 years, 193 people involved in the study had died and 71 people had heart attacks. Reported Fox NewsSunday (2/4/2023), a preventive cardiologist at Baptist Health Miami Cardiac & Vascular Institute, South Florida, United States, Adedapo Iluyomade, reviewed the findings.
“This study supports the importance of focusing on early prevention and early identification of patients, who are considered to be at high risk for future cardiovascular events,” said Dr. Iluyomade who was not involved in this study.
The Center for Disease and Control Prevention (CDC) says the main risk factors for heart disease are smoking, high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, cholesterol low-density lipoprotein (LDL) high, unhealthy diet, lifestyle, and exposure to cigarette smoke. Some risk factors, such as gender and age, cannot be changed. Men have a higher risk, as do people over 65 years of age.
“But at the same time, studies have shown that the atherosclerotic process starts very early and very quietly,” said Dr. Iluyomade.
Doctors warn that as early as 10 or 11 years old, fatty layers can be found in the arteries. Ultimately, this can develop into significant plaque buildup in the arteries.
“There are some risk factors, such as genetics, environmental aspects, and chronic inflammation that cannot be easily factored into a risk calculator or assessment tool,” he said.
“Coronary atherosclerosis often develops without symptoms because underlying risk factors, such as high blood pressure and high cholesterol, usually don’t cause symptoms,” said a cardiologist at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Dr. Jim Liu.
It is important for patients to see medical personnel regularly to ensure these risk factors are treated. Dr Iluyomade hopes to increase the availability of examinations heart health for people without symptoms can help save their lives.
