Keeping a clean heart

FOR HER

A  new research published in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology, was conducted by School of Public Health at The University of Queensland in Australia on more than 200,000 type 1 diabetic patients.

It has thrown up startling results related to sex-specific estimates of type 1 diabetes mortality rate. Researchers analysed 26 studies conducted between 1966 and 2014 and found that women with type 1 diabetes face a double risk of dying from heart disease as compared with men who have the same condition.

 Type 1 diabetes, in which the pancreas does not produce sufficient levels of insulin to convert sugars, starches and other foods into energy, is becoming common all over the world. Research has also established that poor glycemic control and insulin management are more common among women than men and could be contributing factors to women’s raised risk of death. Heart disease among women is increasing due to many factors, the major ones being stress and sedentary lifestyle at workplaces, apart from stress caused while managing both personal and professional lives. Some women try to cope with increasing stress by resorting to smoking and drinking, which in turn leads to high blood pressure, eating disorders and heart diseases.

The difference in the bodies of men and women is also manifested in their symptoms and reasons of heart disease. The most common symptom of heart disease among men and women is chest pressure. However, women can experience a heart attack without such chest pressure. Instead, they may experience shortness of breath, pressure or pain in the lower chest or upper abdomen, dizziness, fainting, upper back pressure or extreme fatigue.

 In women, some of these symptoms can also be associated with conditions that only affect them - like pregnancy and menopause. In fact, both pregnancy and menopause can increase the risk of heart disease in women and there is an increased risk of both high blood pressure and diabetes in pregnant women.

Prevention

Time management, yoga, meditation, adopting a healthy lifestyle are some ways to keep stress, hypertension and heart diseases at bay. But diabetic patients have to go the extra mile to keep their heart safe and sound. Their blood glucose (also called blood sugar), blood pressure, and blood cholesterol should be close to the recommended limits, as suggested by their physician. For this, they should get their blood sugar level checked at regular intervals. Uncontrolled diabetes can eventually lead to other health problems as well, such as loss of vision, kidney failure, and amputations. Having diabetes also puts women at an increased risk of heart disease and stroke as well.

 In the case of stroke, patient should get medical care right at the first sign of a stroke. If blood vessels to your brain are blocked by blood clots, the doctor can give you a “clot-busting” drug. The drug must be given soon after a stroke to be effective. However, in cases of two or more arteries being blocked, heart bypass surgery is the best option. Heart Bypass surgery is a daunting proposition to any individual who needs one. While it may seem intimidating, the CABG (coronary artery bypass grafting) or heart bypass surgery is the best modality of treatment in terms of mid-term and long-term survival. Unfortunately, the leg veins used for the bypass surgery do not last for more than 10-12 years and patients require an intervention after that.

Both internal mammary arteries , whose longevity is more than 30 years, is used in less than five per cent of patients for bypass surgery world wide. The reason being that removal of both mammary arteries after splitting the sternum open can result in delayed or non-healing of the sternum. But it cannot be denied that lifestyle changes and education are the simplest ways to decrease the rate of heart diseases.

(The author is senior cardiothoracic surgeon, Moolchand City Hospital, Delhi)