Battling Heart and Stroke

A large community of Indian Asians - also sometimes called South Asians- reside in the UK. These are people who originated from the Indian subcontinent - from the countries of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

Results from a recent prospective study show that Indian Asian patients with acute coronary heart syndrome are way much younger than white Europeans. It is not uncommon to see Indian Asians in their 20s being diagnosed with severe coronary artery disease.

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The 2008 European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Congress was held in Munich, Germany last August 30 to September 3. Below I summarize some of the reports that may be interesting to our readers.

Strategies to prevent sudden death in athletes

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Heart experts from all over Europe and the world met in Munich, Germany last August 30 to September 3 to share the latest research findings on cardiovascular sciences at the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Congress 2008. Today and in the coming days, I will be presenting some extracts from reports presented at the Congress.

One of the most interesting presentations under the topic “Cardiovascular Disease Prevention - Risk Assessment and Management” is entitled “The gourmand’s heart - a bitter sweet relationship?” where Spanish heart expert S.S. Menendez summarized the latest updates on the health effects of four common food and drinks in the Western diet, namely tea, coffee, wine and chocolate. More →

Do you have an undiagnosed risk for developing cardiovascular disease (CVD)? You think it’s highly unlikely? Well, think again.

According to a British study, one in three people with high cardiovascular risk over the next years are unaware of their risk, and neither are their health care providers. In other words, it is very often that the risk remains undiagnosed until it manifests in overt symptoms. This oversight in risk assessment is especially strongest in middle-aged men.

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Every year, millions of people suffer from heart attack. In Central Europe alone, more than 600,000 cases of cardiac arrest occur annually - 9 per 10,000 inhabitants. Some are lucky to survive. Some don’t. Those who survived were probably recipients of intensive care.

A major heart attack entails that a patient be admitted to an intensive care unit (ICU). There are many other acute conditions aside from cardiac problems that require intensive care. Add to these a large number of trauma cases and ICUs can get very crowded indeed. ICUs however cost a lot of money and can be a burden to the health care system. The question always arises as to how to prioritize limited ICU space.

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When we speak of cholesterol, negative thoughts of blocked arteries and heart attacks come to mind. However, not all types of cholesterol are detrimental to our health. There are 2 main types of cholesterol in our body - the low-density lipoproteins (LDL) and the high-density lipoproteins (HDL). LDL cholesterol is considered to be “bad” cholesterol and is linked to atherosclerosis. LDL levels in our blood should therefore be kept low. HDL is deemed to be the “good” cholesterol and high levels of HDL in the blood may actually be beneficial and decrease the risk of heart attacks. HDL cholesterol plays important roles in several vital biological functions including clearance of excess cholesterol from the blood, assistance in the maturation process of nerve-cell synapses, and controlling the formation of beta-amyloid. Beta-amyloid is the major component of plaque deposits found in the brains of patients with Alzheimer’s disease.

A recent study demonstrated the role of HDL in the development of dementia. Low levels of HDL are linked to having memory loss in middle age and dementia later in life. The report is based on data collected by the Whitehall II study, a long-term health research study involving more than 10,000 British civil servants working in London. The study has been ongoing since 1985. More →

Major sports events are fun - but also dangerous for the heart and the blood vessels of the fans. I have just lived through another major sports tournament this year - the European Football Championships held in Switzerland (my current place of residence) and Austria .

Two years ago, it was the World Football Championships (known as THE WORLD CUP) in Germany (my place of residence then) that I could experience.

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A recent survey by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) showed 46% of Americans have basic or below basic level of health literacy. I am sure that many countries in the world have the same health literacy problems.

When in doubt, where do you turn to for health information? To your health care provider, of course.

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When it comes to stroke rates, Europeans are way better off than Americans, according to a Dutch study.

The researchers looked at data from 2004 on 13,667 Americans and 30,120 Europeans from 11 countries. Their analysis shows that American men have 61% higher likelihood of suffering from stroke than their European counterparts. Also, American women were almost twice more likely to suffer from stroke than European women. This difference in stroke rates in the two sides of the Atlantic is most evident among the poor segment of the two regions’ population but less visible among the rich. More →

Today, let’s have a look at figures and statistics on heart and stroke that we can ponder upon:

United States

According the Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC), heart disease is the number one killer in the US [1]. More →