Cardiovascular diseases: XXI. Epidemic of the twentieth century

1999/02/01 Agirre, Jabier - Medikua eta OEEko kidea Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Osasuna

In most industrialized countries, the totally negative habits of life of its inhabitants make this pathology continue in constant ascent. The health authorities carry out annual prevention campaigns so that the general population is aware of the importance of the problem. It is not just the high number of deaths that cause these diseases, but the premature invalidations that appear in people who are increasingly young as a result of this disease.

As the cardiologist Víctor López García-Aranda, director of the Heart of Spain Foundation, points out, "cardiovascular diseases affect the heart and blood vessels. The most frequent are those corresponding to coronary arteries, angina pectoris and myocardial infarction. It is followed by those that affect the heart valves, the artery diseases of the lower extremities, the diseases of the aorta and the vascular cerebral diseases, such as thrombosis and cerebral hemorrhages".

Why do they arise?

With the passage of the years it is logical that our arteries are deteriorating, but it is a question that, besides the "damage" that means age, there are no other added damages.

Although these are different diseases, their training mechanism is always similar: the arteries or veins are not able to supply the blood and oxygen necessary for the body to function normally, and especially the heart. And the main cause for blood circulation not to function properly is arteriosclerosis, hardening of the arteries. In the wall of the arteries, substances such as cholesterol and calcium are accumulated, losing elasticity and making the arteries more and more narrow.

The need to amputate the legs, operate in the open heart, or brain lesions due to lack of blood supply are some of the situations that may occur. In other cases, death can be the consequence. The first symptoms can be angina chest, memory or kidney function disorders, dizziness, or leg pain when walking. The prestigious cardiologist Valentín Fucter, director of the Institute of Cardiology at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, highlights the importance of aspirin in prevention and states: "XX. It is a miracle of the twentieth century for its multiple therapeutic characteristics. That is why it is especially recommended, for example, for all people who have suffered the first heart attack".

Clean your "pipe"

With the passage of the years it is logical that our arteries are deteriorating, but it is a question that, besides the "damage" that means age, there are no other added damages. In order for arteries and veins that carry blood to be free from harmful residues, it is necessary to avoid a series of risk factors:

Tobacco Tobacco Tobacco Tobacco

It is one of the most harmful substances for the cardiovascular system. Data indicate that tobacco is responsible for 30-40% of all cardiovascular deaths. Smokers have twice the risk of sick from coronary arteries than those who do not smoke, and the risk of sudden cardiac death is four times higher. Tobacco contains mainly two dangerous substances for our body: nicotine, which destroys the arteries and causes alterations in blood clotting, and carbon dioxide, which causes the heart muscle to get less oxygen than necessary.

Cholesterol Cholesterol Cholesterol Cholesterol

It can be controlled by a healthy diet: little meat, much starch (potato, rice), vegetables, fruit and fish (see table below). All this manipulated with olive oil or sunflower or soybean oil.

Hypertension in the blood

At this point, the patient with high blood pressure should take a Mediterranean diet, with little salt, and strictly follow the indications of his doctor about medications. The medication should not be abandoned or when the tension is apparently controlled. On the other hand, drugs are for a lifetime, not just for symptoms.

Diabetes Diabetes Diabetes

Diabetics have more glucose in the blood and this excess of sugar can discharge the blood vessels. Still for many people, diseases are a thing of men. And that is not at all true. In men they spend a little more, but when the woman reaches menopause, the risk of suffering cardiovascular diseases is equal to that of her older men because the hormones that protected from this disease are no longer synthesized in her body. These diseases are the first cause of death of women in this age, of the 150,000 women who die every year in our country, half of them due to some type of disease. On the other hand, in older women, infarctions have a worse prognosis than in men, they are more serious.

What can we do?

Without forgetting serious and weighty things, it is always convenient to face life with a cheerful face.

Prevention and research are key factors if one wants to somehow hinder the progress, until now unstoppable, of these pathologies that affect the heart. And that's why researchers spend billions and spend hundreds of hours searching for new ways of treatment or implementing less invasive and hard surgical methods than they do today. For example, very small video cameras are used, capable of maneuvering and reporting in the affected area (for example, on the wall of an artery): the size of the surgical instruments has been reduced so much that the scars left after surgery are very small. They are invisible and have remained in place those great and ugly scars of yesteryear.

But for little it is useful to have in our favor the progress and benefits of Science and Medicine, if we then hurt and destroy the body. That is why healthy living habits are so important. The measure of adequate food in fats, the maintenance of an ideal weight for each, the frequent exercise (but always suitable to age and without excesses), the prevention of situations of stress and the reduction of alcohol and coffee consumption are really effective measures to avoid these dangerous and uncomfortable diseases.

Without forgetting serious and heavy things, it is always convenient to face life with a cheerful face. It seems that the risk of developing myocardial infarction is greater in one hour after feeling sadness, tension, stress, or failure. On the contrary, and as demonstrated by a research group at Duke University in the US, having positive feelings reduces the risk of heart problems. As we will often find it impossible to avoid bad moments and feelings of despair, the solution is to maintain a positive attitude and always knowing how to see the positive part.