The cardiologist explains why a heart attack or stroke: advises how to prevent them from happening again

Associate Professor Jolita Badarienė, a cardiologist at the Santara Clinics of Vilnius University Hospital, shares information on how cardiovascular events, such as myocardial infarction or pre-infarction, change the lives of patients in a press release, and advises how to live to prevent it from happening. again.

Promises are forgotten and myths are believed

“The most common cardiovascular events are myocardial infarction, cerebrovascular accident or pre-infarction. These illnesses, if they are sudden, shock a person and make him wonder why it happened to him. From experience, I can say that they tend to blame the stressful environment.

Yes, it is a major risk factor, but they tend to hide from others and only when asked do they admit that they smoked or ate a lot of fatty foods, they did not move much. And although lying down in bed of illness promises to quit smoking, eat healthier foods, lose weight, and take prescription drugs, patients generally forget its promises after 3-6 months, ”says Dr. J. Badarienė.

“Depending on the condition of the patients, the drugs are prescribed for individual reasons, such as lowering cholesterol or thinning the blood, but patients sometimes stop taking them because various myths circulate about them. One of them is that you can stop using them when you return home, but this is not true. Medications, such as after a heart attack, generally need to be taken for life and a group of medications for at least a year. Another myth is that you can get used to the drugs. This is not true either, they are very necessary and we are not used to them ”, says associate professor J. Badarienė.

Lifestyle Changes – Required

When asked how patients should change their lives after cardiovascular events, the doctor emphasizes that smokers should give up this harmful habit immediately. Thinking that occasional smoking is still possible is also wrong. It is also recommended to actively exercise for at least 30-40 minutes almost every day.

And when it comes to nutrition, it is important to remember that any fatty food promotes an increase in cholesterol levels. Patients are advised to eat more unsaturated fats, as well as to include vegetables, various grains, and fish in their diet. White meat can be eaten only once a day and red meat less often. Of course, it is necessary to remember to take the medication prescribed by the doctor and to do it constantly, and not only when the pressure rises, etc. ”Emphasizes J. Badarienė.

According to the doctor, cardiologists increasingly use a holistic treatment method in their daily practice. This means that the patient is encouraged to strive for harmony in their lives. If only medications are taken, but physical activity remains minimal, cardiovascular disease can recur. On the contrary, if a patient does not take the necessary medications prescribed by a doctor, but only exercises and eats healthily, the risk of a recurrent cardiovascular event will remain high.

How to lower cholesterol?

“Cholesterol plays a special role in the prevention of cardiovascular events, so it must be constantly monitored. Elevated cholesterol levels along with inflammation cause atherosclerosis. Therefore, in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases, it is important to reduce high cholesterol levels. It is recommended to reduce it by more than 50%. from the start and less than 1.4 mmol / l. The lower the cholesterol level, the better ”, explains cardiologist J. Badarienė.

Cardiovascular events are followed by other classes of drugs, such as angiotensin inhibitors, which reduce the risk of blood pressure and heart failure, with reduced ejection fraction, antiplatelet agents to help prevent recurrent myocardial infarction or the previous condition to infarction and to prevent stent thrombosis. , as well as statins that reduce not only high cholesterol levels.

“Statins reduce not only high cholesterol levels, but also the likelihood of recurrence or death from vascular disease. Statins also reduce the need for repeated cardiovascular dilation. Collected statistics show that long-term use of statins (for example, 40 years and older) and lowering the density of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol to 1 mmol / L can reduce the likelihood of a cardiovascular event by up to 52% “says adjunct professor J. Badarienė.

However, any medications that are prescribed by a doctor after a cardiovascular event, the patient must follow the basic rule of taking them. Only medicines for medical use help prevent the recurrence of diseases or events. The doctor also warns that if you forget to take the prescribed tablet one day, it is not recommended to take two the next day.

Also, cooperation between the patient and the cardiologist is very important. European and American specialists constantly think about patients who have experienced cardiovascular events and issue treatment instructions that can be used to provide qualified treatment to patients after a cardiovascular event ”, says cardiologist J. Badarienė.