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To the news portal tv3.lt Giedrius Navickas, head of the Department of Intensive Cardiology, Resuscitation and Intensive Care of the Santara Clinics of Vilnius University, anesthesiologist-resuscitator, points out that more than 2,000 cases of myocardial infarction are counted every year alone at this medical institution, and this number grows every year.
“The increase in the number of myocardial infarctions is related both to a better diagnosis and to people seeking medical attention in a timely manner. It could not be said absolutely that the way of life is to blame for the growing number, because the further away people are, the more they take care of their health, they do more sports, they take care of their diet ”, says G. Navickas.
Heart attacks are more common in men.
According to the specialist, the risk factors for myocardial infarction are many. They could be divided into two main groups.
“There are adjustable and non-adjustable factors. Unadjusted would be a person’s gender, age, genetics, and fit would be pretty much all lifestyle factors. It would also be an irregular diet, harmful habits, especially smoking, perhaps a little less alcohol, as well as little physical activity, “says the doctor.
He says it would be quite difficult to describe a statistician who most often has a myocardial infarction, but some characteristics still emerge:
“Most are men in their 40s and 50s who smoke, have uncorrected blood pressure, and are often overweight.”
The most common symptom is sharp pain.
Sometimes when people feel bad in their chest, people do not understand: it is a sign of a heart attack or just pain. Therefore, G. Navickas points to the main symptom that allows to recognize a threatening disease.
“The main symptom is pain in the leftmost side of the chest with extension to the left arm, left shoulder. That pain is not related to movement or breathing. It comes in such a depressing nature and lasts for 20 to 30 minutes.
When such a sensation occurs, it is already possible to suspect that something is wrong with the heart, that there may be a myocardial infarction. If the pain in the heart or chest area is short-lived, the stabbing is not very typical of a heart attack, ”says the doctor.
However, sometimes there are atypical cases that can be confused with other things:
“There may be pain that people often mistake for stomach pain. It hurts in the pit, it lasts a long time, then the person thinks that he has been poisoned. This can mask a heart attack that has occurred. Sometimes myocardial infarction is painless because it manifests itself only in some general weakness, shortness of breath.
But the most common is sudden, sharp pain from this or that, which spreads to the chest, back, sometimes neck, jaw and lasts longer. “
The specialist points out that sending previous signs before the myocardial infarction is quite questionable, but possible.
“There may be short-term symptoms, such as two to three minutes of pressure on the chest and death. For many, this is typical, for example, after more physical exertion, there may be some pressure, palpitations. But if it increases more often and is pressed once so that it does not take 20-30 minutes, the probability of a myocardial infarction is very high ”, emphasizes G. Navickas.
It is important not to miss a heart attack
The doctor emphasizes that if you experience a myocardial infarction, you should go to the doctor as soon as possible, because every minute is very important in this case:
“You should not act without thinking and think that the pain will disappear, it is always better to consult a doctor. Sometimes there may not be a heart attack, but having a heart attack is worse than going to the doctor unnecessarily.”
When a person seeks medical attention for a suspected heart attack, the changes in the electrocardiogram are used to decide whether or not the heart attack occurred, how it could have happened. Subsequently, based on these data, an additional treatment strategy is envisaged.
“Myocardial infarction generally occurs when a blood vessel in the heart becomes blocked. It is necessary to open that blood vessel as soon as possible and restore normal blood flow to the heart, because if this is not done in time or is not done, various complications such as heart failure can occur. Therefore, the longer it takes, the later the blood vessel opens, the more likely the area of the heart will be affected.
Therefore, the point is that if you feel pain and you are diagnosed with a myocardial infarction, you should go to the doctor as soon as possible to perform the procedure and open the affected heart vessel ”, emphasizes the specialist.
Sudden deaths also occur
According to data from the Institute of Hygiene, in 2019 more than a thousand people died of myocardial infarction in Lithuania. Mr. Navickas says that the number is still quite high, although it is decreasing every year.
“That would be about 10 percent of all myocardial infarction deaths. A large part of sudden death occurs when a person does not see the doctor, it happens unexpectedly: sitting in a car, driving or walking and that’s it. Then only the post-mortem examination indicates that a myocardial infarction has occurred ”, says the doctor.
There is no exact explanation for why some people die unexpectedly, according to G. Navickas:
“There is a certain percentage of those sudden deaths that are threatening, like a heart rhythm disorder or a muscle tear. The man had not felt anything until then, but a myocardial infarction occurred. There is no precise explanation for why this is happening. “
Lifestyle habits need to be concerned
The doctor points out that those who have had a myocardial infarction are much more likely to have it again than a perfectly healthy person.
“Very rarely there is a change in a single vessel in the heart, usually all the blood vessels are damaged. If a heart attack has occurred in one blood vessel, it can occur in others. Therefore, after a myocardial infarction, it is a very strong sign of worrying about your health and your lifestyle, ”says G. Navickas.
To prevent heart attack or its recurrence, your doctor has some important lifestyle tips.
“The main things that help reduce the risk of heart attack are normal physical activity, proper nutrition, such as including more vegetables, eliminating all unhealthy habits, as well as constant monitoring of your cholesterol to prevent it from rising.
Health is an invaluable asset, here you will not buy anything for money. And if you hurt yourself and don’t take care of yourself, the risk will increase not only due to a heart attack, but also due to all other diseases, ”emphasizes the doctor.
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