 did you know?
The heart is a fist sized organ which lies in the centre of the chest. The right and left sides of the heart each have an upper chamber (atrium), which collects blood and lower chamber (ventricle), which ejects blood. To ensure that blood flows in only one direction, each ventricle has an inlet and outlet valve.
The heart pumps blood through the body. Oxygen poor blood enters the right atrium of the heart (via veins called the inferior vena cava and the superior vena cava). The blood then flows into the right ventricle and then through the pulmonary artery to the lungs, where the blood is enriched with oxygen (and loses carbon dioxide). The oxygen rich (oxygenated) blood is then carried back to the left atrium of the heart via the pulmonary veins. The blood then flows into the left ventricle, and then pumped through the aorta and to the rest of the body. |
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why is your heart health important? |
FACTS:
Coronary heart disease and stroke are the leading causes of death in Singapore today. About 12 Singaporeans a day die from cardiovascular diseases.
In women, 1 in 4 die from a cardiovascular disease; 5 times more than those dying from breast cancer. In 2005, more than 15,000 hospitalisations were due to coronary heart disease.
The good news is that these conditions are largely preventable if treated early. |
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what puts you at risk of coronary artery disease?
The presence of a risk factor increases the likelihood for heart disease. Some of them, such as age and gender, cannot be changed while others may be modified. By understanding and managing these factors, you can lower your risk for heart disease. |
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What are the non-modifiable risk factors? |
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Age |
Age increases a person’s susceptibility to heartdisease. For women, the effects of menopause,including the loss of the hormone oestrogen,appear to increase their risks of coronary heart disease and stroke. |
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Gender |
Men are 3 to 5 times more likely to have coronary heart disease than women. However, the risk for women increases after menopause. By about 5 to10 years following menopause, the risk for coronary heart disease for women increases to the same rate as men. |
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Ethnicity |
Risk for coronary heart disease varies with different ethnic groups. The likelihood for coronary heart disease is highest amongst South Asians in Singapore. Compared with Chinese, South Asians are 3 times, and Malays are 2 times more likely to suffer from coronary heart disease. |
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Family
History |
You can be at a higher risk of having heart disease if your immediate family members (parents, children, brothers and sisters) have a history of premature heart disease. Certain risk factors tend to run in some families. If there is a history of heart disease in the family, you should try very hard to control your other risk factors too. |
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What are the modifiable risk factors? |
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High Blood Cholesterol
As high blood cholesterol itself does not cause symptoms, many people may not be aware that their cholesterol level is high.
Therefore, it is important to check your cholesterol levels regularly. If the level is high, it should be lowered to reduce your susceptibility to coronary heart disease.
The desirable level of cholesterol depends on your pre-existing risk for coronary heart disease.
 High Blood Pressure / Hypertension
Hypertension is one of the major risk factors for coronary heart disease and cerebrovascular disease, such as stroke. Hypertension usually occurs without any symptoms.
Hypertension, left untreated over the long term, can lead to damage of the heart and blood vessels leading to stroke or heart attack.
When your blood pressure is extremely high, headaches, dizziness or alterations in vision may be experienced. Marginally elevated blood pressure may normalise when you lose weight, exercise more and reduce salt intake. If these measures are not successful, then drug treatment may be needed. Once medication has started, it is essential to continue with the treatment, omplemented by a healthy lifestyle.
Treatment of hypertension for most people is life-long. You should have your blood pressure checked at least once a year.
Diabetes Mellitus and Abnormal Blood Glucose (Sugar) Levels
Diabetes mellitus is a chronic illness.
People with diabetes are 2 to 4 times more likely to develop coronary artery disease and stroke.
It is often associated with other cardiovascular risk factors, such as high blood pressure, increased total cholesterol and triglyceride levels, decreased HDL-cholesterol levels ("good" cholesterol) and obesity.
The basic treatment strategy is to maintain good control over the amount of glucose in your blood. Maintaining a healthy weight, balanced diet and regular exercise routine can prevent the onset of diabetes mellitus. |
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Menopause
 Many women before menopause seem to be partly protected from coronary heart disease, heart attack and stroke by natural oestrogen. A woman’s oestrogen level is highest during her childbearing years and declines during menopause.
As a woman ages, the loss of natural oestrogen may contribute to a higher risk of heart disease and stroke.
If menopause is caused by surgery to remove the uterus and ovaries, the risk rises sharply. If menopause occurs naturally, the risk rises gradually. However, routine hormone replacement for women who have undergone natural menopause does not prevent heart disease. |
| It is recommended that adults over 40 years should have their blood pressure checked annually, and their blood cholesterol checked once every 3 years. More frequently if results are abnormal of if there are other risk factors. |
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Obesity and Overweight
People with excess body fat - especially around the waist - are more prone to developing heart disease and stroke even if they have no other risk factors. Excess weight increases the strain on the heart, raises blood pressure, blood cholesterol and triglyceride levels, and lowers HDL. It is also associated with the development of diabetes mellitus.
Family history and environment play a part in determining obesity. Physical inactivity and a high fat diet also contribute to obesity.
As body fat increases when more food calories than required is consumed over a long period of time, weight control (fat loss) is possible by decreasing food intake together with increasing physical activity.
If you use more calories because of increased physical activity, a gradual decrease in body weight will take place. Diet alone can also cause weight loss, which leads to a decrease in blood pressure, blood glucose and blood cholesterol levels.
 Physical Inactivity
An inactive lifestyle is a risk factor for coronary heart disease. Regular, moderate physical activity helps prevent heart and blood vessel disease if done over a period of time.
Regular exercise may also lead to improvement in other cardiovascular risk factors, such as weight loss, lower blood pressure, decreased stress and improved cholesterol level.
Exercise is beneficial especially since the risks involved are minimal. Exercise programmes should start at a slow pace initially to avoid injury to muscles and ligaments.
People with known coronary artery disease or those above 40 years of age who have been inactive should seek medical advice before starting a regular exercise programme. |
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Smoking
Smokers have 2 to 3 times the risk of non-smokers for sudden cardiac death.
Smokers account for 40% of deaths caused by heart disease in patients younger than 65 years.
Smoking also leads to heart attack, stroke, high blood pressure, blood vessel disease, cancer and lung disease. Smoking also causes a decrease in HDL-cholesterol.
Stress
Your blood pressure goes up momentarily when you get angry, excited, frightened or when you are under stress.
If you experience constant stress over a prolonged period, you may be at a higher risk of developing high blood pressure, leading to a heart attack. |
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| The Message is clear: Stop Smoking! | |
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