Happy Heart
Time & Leisure, Tuesday 24 January 2012
Every six minutes someone dies from a heart attack in the UK and half die before reaching hospital.
Heart and circulatory disease cause more than one in three of all deaths in the UK, accounting for around 200,000 deaths every year. Heart disease affects everyone from athletes to couch potatoes. Around eight fit, young adults die every week in the UK from undiagnosed heart conditions. The cause of death is a sudden cardiac arrest and it is preventable.
So how likely are you to have a heart attack? One way to find out is to have a non-invasive cardiac screen which identifies underlying heart conditions within a matter of minutes. Dr Richard Bogle, Consultant Cardiologist, St Anthony’s Hospital, North Cheam, says: ‘As we age, the nature of the risk changes and lack of exercise, poor diet and genetics all affect the coronary arteries, predisposing towards heart attacks. Screening for heart disease is important as it gives an estimate of the risk and we can inform patients what they need to do, whether it’s weight management, more exercise or treatment for high blood pressure.
Dr Bogle’s top tips for preventing heart disease are: don’t smoke; eat healthily – a diet low in saturated fat with plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables; exercise for at least three times a week for 30 minutes at a time; know your cholesterol levels; know your blood pressure levels; get checked for diabetes; control your weight; and drink alcohol in moderation.
St Anthony’s Hospital has introduced a new cardiac health screen consisting of a questionnaire, electrocardiogram, blood pressure and cholesterol tests with a risk assessment from a cardiologist. When it comes to mending broken hearts, St Anthony’s is the local independent specialist centre with a team of top cardiac surgeons and cardiologists.
