In this video, (Lt Gen) Dr. Anup Banerji, Director of Clinical Cardiology and Senior Consultant at the Medica Institute of Cardiac ...

myths-about-heart-attacks-manipal-hospital-saltlake

Myths About Heart Attacks | Manipal Hospital Saltlake

greetings from manipal hospitals Salt Lake Kolkata I am Dr ano banery a cardiologist in this hospital today I shall be speaking on myths and facts in cardiovascular diseases as we are aware myths are beliefs which exist amongst us but have no factual background they can be dangerous if they spread a false message and we know that myths related to heart diseases which can be life-threatening which give no reaction time can be extremely dangerous and life-threatening to an individual it is therefore I chose this topic to communicate my feelings and my thoughts to all of you you I hope you shall be benefited from my conversation now onwards myth I'll know when I'm having a heart disease because I'll have chest pain the fact is quite the opposite heart diseases can present without chest pain it is called Silent ismia in which the patient has Fe features of heart problems but is not aware of chest pain it is classically seen in diabetic patients because of autonomic disturbances also there are other symptoms which can mimic chest pain but the patient can get confused the commonest is dispepsia what they call as gas problem next is breathlessness next is fatigue next is unaccustomed palpitations next is swelling of the feet so all these symptoms can occur in patients without the classical chest pain in patients of underlying heart disease so therefore in a in patients who are predisposed to heart disease with a strong family history I'll keep on repeating this subset subset again and again they should take these as warning signs especially diabetics next myth I am too young to worry about heart disease the fact is quite different in the present day scenario as you are aware the disease of cardiovascular ethology has assumed tremendous and worrying percentage in the young people because of Lifestyle because of other factors life genetic factors people who are born in families where there is a presence of heart disease can have heart disease in a younger age group therefore as I say people who in with a small a strong family history of heart disease age is no criteria one should be aware about the presence of heart disease in the younger generation too next myth I'd know if I had high blood pressure because there would be warning signs the fact is quite different hypertension is a silent killer and one gets symptoms related to high blood pressure only when the story is too late that is when complications of high blood pressure affecting the heart affecting the kidney affecting the eyes set in so therefore what is the lesson in people who are prone to hyb pressure because of the lifestyle because of the family history they should keep on having a periodic blood pressure recording one should not wait for symptoms of the silent killer to have its bad effects the next myth diabetes won't harm my heart as long as I take my medication the fact is quite different first and foremost diabetes does not come in alone diabetes has certain other disabilities associated with it like abnormal in the lipids that is called D lipidemia presence of high blood pressure presence of other metabolic disorders which accompany diabetes so just taking treatment for diabetes is not the answer so the solution is one should have a proper screening of associated disorders like that of lipids of high blood pressure and treat the diabetes with strict diabetic control next myth heart disease runs in my family so there's nothing I can do to prevent it the fact is quite different we know of families where one or two members have had heart disease in their young age but the others have been smart enough or wise enough to take preventive measures to get themselves periodically screened and address the issues of diabetes cholesterol blood pressure obesity and lifestyle and lead a normal life we definitely take a history of early death or early cardiac disease in patients with diabetes but the others can lead a normal life provided they get themselves screened at the right time next myth I don't need to have my cholesterol checked until I'm middle-aged the fact is quite different as I told you heart diseases and those related to cholesterol are occurring these days in younger patients on the contrary Indians are more prone to having heart diseases because of abnormal cholesterol also in patients with familiar abnormalities of the lipids that is familiar dyslipidemia or presence of certain factors like APO hpo proteins and all these people are born with abnormal lipids on the contrary the deposition of lipids in the arteries begins at a very young age so it is not that a normal lipid profile excludes or excuses people from heart disease next myth my heart is beating really fast I must be having a heart attack the reality is different the heart rate scientifically is regulated or is controlled by the demands of the body as you are aware when one is exposed to a energetic activity like running jogging when the entire system requires a greater heart rate heart rate goes up the heart rate is lowest when one is asleep and which we call as a sleeping heart rate a sleeping pulse rate but the importance of the heart rate is when the heart heart rate becomes irregular in which we experience it as sudden thirs in the chest called palpitations because these irregular heartbeats can be serious if they are irregular what we call atrial fibrillation that predisposes a person to have brain stroke or certain life-threatening arithm called ventricular arthas which can be associated with sudden death so what is the recommendation if one gets these changes in heart beats unaccustomed that is you are walking and now you're getting these heart beats when you're walking less then one should get a ECG or a hter monitoring or in the present era if you are putting on a smart watch as soon as you get this increas in heartbeat if you are aware what is called palpitation you must quickly record it in your smart watch the next myth I should avoid exercise after having a heart attack the fact is very different after a heart attack we cardiologists recommend a period of rest that is for the healing of the heart but after this we recommend a graduated exercise which is called cardiac Rehabilitation which is advised by either your cardiologist or the physiotherapy Department in which we gradually increase the exercise of the Heart by doing so so not only the heart improves but the muscle of the skeletal system as well as the entire body gets a beneficial effect so it's a myth that one should keep on lying still after heart attack at home on the contrary in doing so in avoiding exercises there's a tendency to put on weight which also against the heart next myth cardiac arrest and heart attack are the same thing the myth is different Cardiac Arrest is when the heart stops beating at all and heart attack as we know is one of the causes of cardiac arest if the heart attack is not treated urgently scientifically then this can lead to Cardiac Arrest Cardiac Arrest can also be revived so can heart attack be managed but Cardiac Arrest is the end point which is called the cardiac stand still there are other causes but heart attack is one of the causes next myth if someone has a fast heart rate it just means they are stressed or are drinking too much caffeine no there are other causes of increased heart rate thyroid diseases drugs which cause increas in heart rate so all causes of increased heart rate are not necessary because of the heart next myth vitamins can prevent heart disease there is a lot of talk and there's a lot of purchase over the shelf of vitamins antioxidants to prevent heart disease the fact is that there are no evidence-based trials which have shown that consumption of any vitamin prevents heart disease or increases longevity vitamins have other beneficial actions especially in people who are who are deficient in their vitamins and as we all know a better source of V vamin is the dietary vitamin in the form of fruits and vegetables rather than what is consumed in the tets so vitamins per se do not have any evidence-based benefit of reducing heart base the next myth I have smoked for years there is no point stopping now this is a very pessimistic attitude the fact is absolutely different it has been seen that people who stop smoking today have a 50% reversal after 1 year and after 10 years they are as good as those who have not smoked at all so smoking as we know does only harm to the heart if we have the determination to give us smoking we are as good as those who have never smoked in the life so there is hope and hope for smokers next myth heart diseases only affect men the fact is absolutely different these days we are seeing that there is a increase in the incidence of heart disease in woman as we already know from before woman after the age of 65 or after attending post menopause or those who have undergone hysterectomy that is the removal of the uterus are as equally predisposed for heart disease if not more furthermore in the present era where we find women more stressed because of their uh jobs because of their occupation because of the increased stressors in the Life their risk factor has also increased also the presence of obesity and metabolic disorders if any amongst women increases the risk effect so the and therefore women have to be respected when they come with symptoms of heart next myth two or three hours of vigorous exercise per week will ensure heart health the fact is entirely different as we all know we recommend 150 minutes of graduated exercise in patients of heart disease and otherwise to prevent let me also mention at this stage that unaccustomed exercise can be very harmful for people those who have Unown known or undiagnosed heart disease or those who have risk factors for heart disease people who are planning to go to the gym for unaccustomed exercises or those who are going to go to high altitude areas to the mountains or the Snowy Peaks should get get themselves screened by any cardiologist or any medical facilities by a baseline ECG a Eco and a tread because unaccustomed exercises can lead to sudden cardiac death and we have seen enough of them be it religious functions social functions where or sudden burst of activity in the gym where a young person has had sudden with next myth bypass surgery and stenting will fix coronary artery disease the fact is entirely different we know of many people who underwent a successful bypass but they did not give their old habits of smoking alcohol consumption missed out on their medications did not control their lipids and sugar and therefore had another heart attack angioplasty and bypass is just putting the clock back it is a local treatment of a systemic disease what I mean to say is when a person under goes anoplasty that area of the artery is so so called made healthy or normal by putting a Sten increase the blood volume but the Sten does not have any effect on the atherosclerotic activity on the inflammation of the heart on the metabolic milu of the person so it's a local treatment of a systemic disease one should not have any misconceptions and therefore what do I say after your bypass and after your stent uh procedure please continue what the cardiologist tells you as far as lifestyle medication and the consumption of the drugs and repeated monitoring of your metabolic Poors by blood tests and whatever is Reed the next myth taking a daily fish oil supplement can help prevent heart disease the reality is different fish oil and that two a variety of fish can supply only omega-3 fatty acids only taking fish does not prevent heart disease and let me mention at this juncture when I speak on oils and cooking and cardiac diet I will speak again on that the worst thing that one can do is to fry the fish at very high temperatures to use oil which is stored which is not fresh and therefore all the beneficial activities of the fish oil go ha so having a fish oil supplement does not uh uh reduce the risk of heart disease next uh myth if someone is thin they do not need to exercise to stay healthy the reality is absolutely different well obesity is a risk factor but remaining lean and thin does not guarantee you of a sound cardiac health especially if you have family history of heart disease especially if you have family history of diabetes hypertension or undiagnosed congenital causes which can make you have a heart attack so staying lean is of a benefit but it does not guard or guarantee you you must get yourself screen if you are in that highrisk group Next myth I don't need to undergo any cardiac test before going to height or cold environments which I have mentioned before we are seeing lot of patients losing their lives so one should be honest enough and go to go get yourself screen before that I hope I've have been able to convey a few important things and uh we all wish you sound health and a happy healthy life ahead thank you

Dr.

Related Videos

Consultation & Treatment

Consult With Loading Doctor Data