TEMPO.CO, Jakarta – World Heart Day commemorated on September 29. Head of the Indonesian Cardiovascular Specialist Doctors Association (PP PERKI) Isman Firdaus suggested that people who experience chest pain should immediately get help from a doctor, even in the midst of the current COVID-19 pandemic. “Those with heart disease or not, should not delay going to a doctor or hospital if they experience chest pain (angina) that does not go away with rest, shortness of breath that gets worse, fainting, blue and persistent palpitations,” said Isman in an official statement in Jakarta on Tuesday, 29 September 2020.
On the other hand, checking the condition of the heart can also be a way of detecting early detection of abnormalities heart. A heart and blood vessel specialist, Vito Anggarino Damay, once said that this examination can be done since a person is 20 years old. If there are no problems, you are advised to have another heart check-up five years later. “If the age of 30 years or over 40 years, it should be done once a year. If high blood or high cholesterol is detected, you can check it periodically according to the condition,” said Vito Anggarino Damay.
Among the spectrum of cardiovascular disease, disease coronary heart including those caused by unhealthy lifestyles such as smoking. This lifestyle causes hypertension and diabetes, high cholesterol and does not exercise regularly. Those who are obese and have a family history of coronary heart disease are also at risk for this disease. This is explained in the British national health service (National Health Service).
Therefore, health experts say, adopting a healthy lifestyle is the key to preventing the emergence of this disease as well as helping the arteries stay strong and clean from plaque.
In general, coronary heart disease occurs when fat builds up on the walls of the arteries around the heart (coronary arteries), making them narrow and restricting blood flow to the heart muscle, which is called atherosclerosis.
The Mayo Clinic page notes, at first the decreased blood flow may not cause any symptoms. However, because plaque continues to build up in the coronary arteries, you may experience signs and symptoms of coronary artery disease such as chest pain (angina). It feels like someone is standing on your chest. This pain usually occurs in the center or left of the chest. Usually angina is triggered by physical or emotional stress and the pain usually goes away within a few minutes of stopping the stressful activity.
In some people, especially women, the pain may be brief or sharp and felt in the neck, arms, or back. If your heart can’t pump enough blood to meet your body’s needs, you may experience shortness of breath or extreme fatigue with exertion.
Another symptom of coronary heart disease is a heart attack. A completely blocked coronary artery will cause a heart attack. Classic signs and symptoms include pressure in the chest and pain in the shoulder or arm, sometimes accompanied by shortness of breath and sweating. Women are more likely to experience less typical heart attack symptoms, such as neck or jaw pain, than men. However, sometimes a heart attack occurs without obvious signs or symptoms.
In Indonesia, PP PERKI data revealed that coronary heart disease, which is classified into diseases of the circulatory system, is the main and first cause of all deaths, amounting to 26.4 percent. This figure is four times higher than the death rate from cancer (six percent). In other words, approximately one in four people who die in Indonesia is due to coronary heart disease.
To prevent cardiovascular disease, you can do regular exercise, which is at least 30 minutes three times a week. However, don’t do sudden strenuous physical activity. In addition, avoid smoking, you should eat foods low in fat, low in salt but high in fiber, such as fruits, vegetables and whole grains, as much as five servings per day. You also need to maintain a healthy weight and reduce and manage stress.
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