“A sudden lack of air should raise alarm bells”

cardiovascular diseases They are one of the main causes of death in Spain. Therefore, prevention is the fundamental basis for protecting heart health. Every heartbeat of this vital organ fuels life itself, but we often put unnecessary stress on it due to unhealthy habits and bad habits. risk factors can be avoided.

Added to this is the fact that in many cases symptoms They can be difficult to recognize until it is too late, and without medical supervision, patients can remain untreated for years. To prevent this from happening, it is important not only to know the keys to prevention, but also to act quickly when faced with warning signs. We analyze these warning signs and explain the most effective strategies for preventing cardiovascular risk, with guidance from cardiology experts.

Fatigue is an invisible symptom

Do you get tired while climbing stairs? Do you feel out of breath just after taking a few steps? Do you feel tired when carrying a load, such as while shopping? These may all be isolated and anecdotal cases, but if they come together and, above all, if they persist over time, they may indicate a possible heart failure. Especially when it comes to patients of a certain age.

“Heart failure increases with age, and the older you are, the more likely it is to occur. Thus, it is estimated that, starting at age 70, more than 15% of the population may suffer an episode of heart failure. However, it also very much depends on the cause that caused it. For example, in children it can be observed with congenital heart disease or in a young person with a rapid arrhythmia, and in a not so young person it appears with coronary heart disease and insufficient blood flow from the coronary arteries to the muscles,” he explains. Cardiologist Andres IniguezPresident of the Spanish Heart Foundation.

Symptoms associated with fatigue include: dyspnea Or, to put it colloquially, lack of air is one of the biggest alarm signals that the body uses to warn you that there is a problem. Especially if these are patients with diabetes: their heart attacks are usually manifested not by chest pain, but by prolonged shortness of breath.

Acute pain: when should you worry?

The most striking symptom myocardial infarction This is a pressing pain in the center of the chest that usually radiates to the left arm, but in many cases can spread to other areas. “If you notice a heaviness in your chest or something that is burning, this is an alarming symptom. First of all, if it looks like a heaviness that appears when you are resting or making significant efforts and is noticeable, this is not something normal,” warns the cardiologist. Rafael Vidal, Galician Society of Cardiologists (Sogacar).

This type of pain, Vidal explains, poses a greater risk if it occurs. being at rest“because that’s when you’re more likely to have a heart attack. If it occurs while you’re moving, it could be due to angina, which happens when your artery narrows and you strain.” oxygen what reaches the heart is not enough due to the narrowness that is manifested in this typical pain.

In these cases ” pain It is usually accompanied irradiation. If the pain radiates to the jaw or left arm, these are symptoms of a heart attack. Sometimes, but not always, accompanied by autonomic symptoms such as cold sweats or nausea. Shortness of breath may also occur, which, especially if it is sudden, may be a sign of a heart attack. That’s what should be alarming,” Vidal describes.

When does this type of acute pain occur? In addition to the place and moment of its appearance, it is important to take into account its duration, which can help rule out psychological triggers. “Many people complain of chest discomfort that lasts two minutes and may be more consistent with a panic attack. Sometimes if you stop what you are doing, the pain goes away within five minutes. But when it lasts more than five or ten minutes, then you need to be alarmed,” explains Vidal.

Symptoms in women

Women suffer from heart attacks at the same rate as men, but more women die from it than men. This is due to various factors. Among them, it has been noted for years that women report different symptoms than men when they have a heart attack. But in general, the classic symptoms are usually present when they develop cardiac pathology.

“It has always been said that women have different symptoms than men, but in many cases the symptoms are very similar. Sometimes women can have more vegetative symptoms. Moreover, their pain is not central-thoracic, but is of a epigastric In many cases. But what happens is that traditionally women weren’t strongly associated with cardiovascular disease, so for a long time it wasn’t thought that they could have a heart attack, even though they could. That is they ignored these symptomsbecause it was believed that this disease was not something typical for women,” says Vidal.

In this sense, it is important to know the warning signs in order to act quickly. “In general, it is described that women tend to underestimate their symptoms and subordinate them to other demands of what they think they should be doing, such as their obligations at the family level, which makes help delayed and delayed. the prognosis will be worse. Therefore, the diagnosis must be made at an early stage, regardless of the circumstances of each person,” emphasizes Iñiguez.

Although pressing chest pain is the most common symptom, there are other, less common symptoms that are more common in women than men: fatigue, discomfort in the back, jaw or neck. Sometimes, painless heart attacks may even occur. It’s worse for women too forecast, generally speaking, than men after a heart attack. This is why it is extremely important to seek medical help immediately if symptoms appear.

It’s also important to remember that women have times in their lives when hormonal changes can increase their risk of heart disease. In particular, pregnancy and menopause These are the stages at which these problems can manifest themselves. After the fertile stage, when estrogen levels drop, “hypertension and decompensation of the lipid profile appear due to hormonal changes. During pregnancy, problems arise such as gestational diabetes or eclampsia, that is, high blood pressure, or other cardiovascular diseases,” explains Vidal.

Gene weight

I know her Family history Cardiovascular disease is key to knowing how to protect yourself throughout life, especially as we approach adulthood. In this sense, we should not underestimate the importance of genetics. “There may be risk factors or predisposition families to risk factors that lead to the disease, such as familial hypercholesterolemiaor lipid metabolism disorders. They can be hereditary and, in the long term, lead to coronary heart disease,” explains Iñiguez.

“There can also be cardiomyopathies, diseases of the heart muscle linked to certain proteins that change the shape of the heart muscle, and there is evidence that these mutations can cause disease and in some cases have a very poor prognosis. And there are hereditary diseases in the field of arrhythmias, which are transmitted genetically, but this depends on the type of disease,” says the expert.

“You should know if your family has a history of heart problems, hypertension or high cholesterol. These are things that are passed down through generations, and if your family has these problems, it’s likely that you will have them too. Both hypertension and cholesterol high ones are associated with a higher risk of cardiovascular disease,” says Vidal.

One of the most common genetic diseases in this sense is a change in the LDL receptor, which controls cholesterol levels in the blood. “There are frequent cases of changes in its functioning. There is a population that has a greater tendency to have higher cholesterol levels than normal due to this genetic background, and if you add to that an inadequate high-fat diet, hypercholesterolemia is more likely to occur,” says Vidal.

Over the age of 40, it is important to take this history into account and communicate it to the doctor during examinations so that the specialist can determine what tests or measures will be necessary.

How to prevent heart problems?

The good news is that a large percentage of heart disease can be prevented by taking Life style the heart is healthy. Here diet and physical activity are two important factors besides preventing tobacco.

Guidelines for the prevention of cardiovascular diseases in clinical practice, prepared by European Society of Cardiology, states that “adults of any age should try to engage in at least 150 to 300 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity each week, or 75 to 150 minutes if it is vigorous intensity.” But even if you don’t think you can achieve these goals, staying as active as possible is better than being completely sedentary.

Referring to nutritionThe European Society of Cardiology recommends following a Mediterranean or similar pattern, replacing the saturated fats found in fast food and red meat with other higher quality unsaturated fats. The latter are found mainly in products such as olive oil or avocado. It is also important to reduce your salt and sugar intake and give preference to whole grains, fruits, vegetables and fish.

“It is also recommended not to consume more than 100 grams alcohol a week. This amount can mean different drinks depending on the size, which varies in each country, although generally each drink contains between 8 and 14 grams of alcohol,” the guide states.

Regardless of your cardiovascular risk, the guidelines note that it is important to adhere to the following recommendations:

• Quit smoking
• Healthy lifestyle, including diet, body weight and physical activity.
• Systolic blood pressure less than 160 mm Hg. Art.

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