He was diagnosed with "heart failure" after he retired after eating out three meals a day and lacking exercise? Doctor: You must learn the "7 key points" to protect your heart
When I was young, I ate out three times and lacked exercise. After I retired, I was diagnosed with “heart failure”.
With modern people’s Westernized diet, high work pressure, and lack of exercise, obesity, hypertension, diabetes, hyperlipidemia and other diseases are becoming more and more prevalent among young adults. If coupled with bad habits such as smoking and alcoholism, it may lead to an increased risk of “heart failure”.
Dr. Jian Shaofu, the attending physician at the Cardiovascular Center of Cathay General Hospital, said that there was a patient in the clinic who had just retired from the workplace. When he was young, he ate out three meals a day for work and lacked exercise. A few years ago, a health check revealed warning signs: blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol were all abnormal. High, but if there is no discomfort, the condition will not be tracked continuously. After retiring, the patient became breathless after doing even the slightest activity. He originally thought it was just a deterioration of his body function, but after a doctor diagnosed it, he discovered that it was heart failure and required long-term follow-up treatment.
Heart failure worsens to the point where “you can’t even breathe while talking”. 3 methods to evaluate predisposing factors for precise treatment
Dr. Jian Shaofu said that the pathological cause of heart failure is the inability to achieve a balance between “cardiac output” and “body demand”, leading to patients’ fatigue, hyperpnea, palpitations, edema of both lower limbs, decreased urine output, etc. The patient continues to worsen and even becomes unable to speak. Breathing, rapid heartbeat, and irregular heartbeat. If combined with diseases such as hypertension, ischemic heart disease, valvular heart disease, arrhythmia or myocardial disease, the incidence and severity of heart failure will be greatly increased.
If the patient has obvious symptoms of heart failure, an “electrocardiogram” will be used to evaluate whether there is arrhythmia or ischemic myocardial changes; a “chest X-ray” will be used to evaluate whether there is pulmonary edema, hydropleural hydrops or cardiac enlargement; “Examination” can confirm the heart failure index, cardiac enzymes, liver and kidney function, electrolytes, thyroid function, blood sugar and cholesterol to check the cause of heart failure and the severity of the disease.
Dr. Jian Shaofu explained that if the patient’s symptoms and preliminary examination are consistent with the diagnosis of heart failure, a “cardiac ultrasound” will be arranged to evaluate the systolic and diastolic function of the heart and the presence of moderate or above valvular disease. If the triggering factors of heart failure are found, such as ischemic heart disease or thyroid dysfunction, specific treatments will be given, such as cardiac catheterization to treat ischemic heart disease, or medication to treat hyperthyroidism, etc., which can usually significantly improve the heart condition. Symptoms of exhaustion.
Medical treatment and healthy living must be achieved. Doctors reveal “7 key points to protect the heart”
If there is no obvious specific cause of heart failure after examination, Dr. Jian Shaofu recommends the following “7 key points of heart protection” to alleviate symptoms by improving lifestyle, actively controlling risk factors and optimal drug treatment:
Reduce salt. Eating too much salt will not only make high blood pressure difficult to control, it will also easily accumulate water in the body, causing pulmonary edema and lower limb edema. It is recommended that the salt intake be less than 3 grams per day, and avoid high-salt and pickled products.
Moderate weight loss. Obesity and metabolic syndrome are closely related. In addition to reducing the burden on the body, weight loss is very helpful in controlling blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol. It is recommended to maintain a BMI below 27.
Get more exercise. It is recommended to follow the “aerobic exercise 333” rule: exercise three times a week, for more than 30 minutes each time, and the heart rate intensity should be greater than 130 beats per minute.
Quit smoking. Smoking is harmful to the human body. In addition to causing cardiovascular disease, it can also cause chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Drink less alcohol. Recommended daily alcohol consumption: less than 350 ml of beer, less than 150 ml of red wine, and less than 30 ml of whiskey. If it is exceeded, it will increase the risk of arrhythmia and heart failure.
Medication. Nowadays, many drugs have been proven to be effective in patients with heart failure and can significantly improve survival rates. Patients need to follow the doctor’s instructions and take medication on time, and remember not to stop taking the medication on their own to avoid increasing the risk of acute heart failure.
Adjuvant treatment. If the patient’s heartbeat is too slow, a cardiac pacemaker may be considered to increase cardiac output. If the cardiac systolic function is too low, you can discuss with your doctor whether it is appropriate to use a “cardiac resynchronization therapy device”. If the patient has experienced malignant arrhythmia due to heart failure, a “cardiac defibrillator” may be considered to increase the patient’s survival rate.
Dr. Jian Shaofu pointed out that the 5-year survival rate after diagnosis of heart failure is only about 50%, which is even lower than the survival rate of many cancers. Therefore, early control of risk factors, early diagnosis and treatment can avoid the progression of heart failure and reduce the burden on families and society.
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