On the occasion of World Health Day, which is celebrated on April 7, the issue of cardiovascular diseases, one of the leading causes of mortality in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the world, is being raised in particular.
Although it is often believed that heart disease affects mainly the elderly, doctors warn that young people are also increasingly affected. Unhealthy diet, stress, physical inactivity, smoking and disrupted sleep rhythm are just some of the factors that, warns prof. Ph.D. Amra Macić-Džanković, seriously endanger the health of the heart and blood vessels.
On the eve of World Health Day, prof. Ph.D. Amra Macić-Džanković talked about how serious a problem cardiovascular diseases are in BiH, why more and more young people have heart problems, which symptoms are most often ignored and what citizens can do to protect their health.
A serious problem that is not abating
Cardiovascular diseases continue to represent one of the biggest public health challenges, both in Bosnia and Herzegovina and globally.
“Despite the great development of cardiology in all fields, mortality remains high and almost half of the world’s population dies from cardiovascular diseases”, Prof. Ph.D. Amra Macić-Džanković
He adds that the incidence is not decreasing, especially in recent years, and this is contributed by a sedentary lifestyle, the obesity epidemic, less physical activity, especially among younger people, the use of various intoxicants, smoking, consumption of energy drinks, as well as an irregular and disturbed sleep rhythm.
More and more high-risk youth
Of particular concern is the fact that the threshold for the disease is increasingly shifting towards the younger population.
“The number of cardiovascular patients remains constantly high, while the age of onset and occurrence of risk factors is decreasing. More and more young people are hypertensive, diabetic, obese people with bad eating habits, activity, smoking and irregular sleep,” the doctor points out.
Such habits, along with the daily stress to which people are exposed, significantly affect the health of the heart and blood vessels.
“That’s why in practice we often meet young people with multiple risk factors, and without a positive family burden, who experience a cardiovascular incident at a young age,” he warns.
He especially emphasizes the frequent occurrence of heart attacks, but also strokes, which often leave serious consequences for health, work ability and quality of life.
Poor diet and stress leave consequences
When asked how much lifestyle affects heart health, the answer, he says, is very clear: crucial.
“Recommendations for an adequate diet include smaller, frequent meals and a Mediterranean diet, more fresh fruits and vegetables, young, white meat and cheeses, and the intake of more liquids, preferably water”, Prof. Ph.D. Amra Macić-Džanković.
He points out that you should avoid sweetened beverages and juices, fatty, processed and fast food, red meat, as well as salty, smoked and cured meat products.
“We should force smaller meals, without large dinners, with plenty of fluids and physical activity,” adds the doctor.
Why is high blood pressure a “silent killer”?
Hypertension, i.e. elevated blood pressure, is occurring today in younger and younger people, and an additional problem is that it often remains unrecognized.
“Hypertension, i.e. high blood pressure, appears in the younger and younger population, often unrecognized and inadequately treated, until the first incident. We rightly call it the silent killer,” says the doctor.
He explains that the symptoms are often mild and non-specific.
“Not infrequently, only minimal subjective complaints appear, usually headache, light pressure in the chest and a feeling of the heart skipping a beat, and ringing in the ears,” says the doctor.
That is why he especially recommends preventive checks to young people.
“I advise young people to control their blood pressure and perform preventive examinations, because complications can be prevented or postponed, but therapy must be started and taken on time,” says the doctor.
Symptoms that people all too often ignore
One of the biggest problems, he believes, is that many people do not take the first symptoms seriously.
“Our population often ignores the first, warning symptoms, especially the appearance of fatigue, slight pain in the chest during exercise, as well as discomfort, the appearance of pain after a meal or when going out into the cold air,” warns the doctor.
He adds that the complaints can sometimes be barely noticeable, but that despite this they can be a sign of a serious cardiovascular incident.
“Pain radiating to the neck, arms, back or upper stomach, sometimes accompanied by nausea and vomiting, can be signs of heart blood vessel disease and a sign of future events,” he points out.
The most common causes of heart attack
Speaking about the causes of heart attacks, prof. Ph.D. Amra Macić-Džanković emphasizes that it is a combination of several factors.
“The most common causes of heart attacks are stress and the cumulative effect of risk factors, in which I would give a significant place to obesity and a sedentary lifestyle, especially among managers,” he says.
Among the common causes, he cites unrecognized hypertension, smoking, diabetes and increased fat in the blood.
“Especially cholesterol, which also needs to be treated from a young age,” prof. Ph.D. Amra Macić-Džanković.-
Who is most at risk?
Although it is often believed that heart diseases are reserved for the elderly, the doctor warns that all age groups are at risk.
“All ages are at risk. Elderly people have older blood vessels, but also developed collateral blood flow, which is why the outcome of a heart attack is usually less severe. That’s why younger people are exposed to more massive heart attacks, are more prone to malignant rhythm disorders and often have a worse outcome or die suddenly,” warns the doctor.
A sedentary lifestyle increases the risk
Lack of physical activity further increases the risk of disease.
“A sedentary lifestyle and low physical activity also increase the risk, especially in young patients who are under constant stress, have poor sleep or are obese,” says the doctor.
He points out that changing lifestyle habits can bring significant improvement and reduce risk.
A heart attack often does not start dramatically
The first symptoms of a heart attack are not always strong and recognizable, which is why many ignore them.
“The first symptoms of a heart attack often go unrecognized, especially in the group of diabetics. There is only slight chest pain, sweating, sometimes pain in the left shoulder or left arm, and if the heart attack is in the back wall – atypical back pain, stomach pain and the urge to vomit,” explains the doctor.
He especially warns diabetics, whose symptoms can be much milder.
“Diabetics have so-called autonomic polyneuropathy and a disturbed sense of pain, so the symptoms can be extremely mild,” he points out.
A big problem in practice is that patients come to the doctor only when the condition becomes serious.
“It often happens that patients don’t arrive on time, their ailments go unrecognized, they refuse to go to the hospital for an examination, so they lose precious time for primary coronary intervention that saves the muscle and reduces the size of the heart attack and later complications,” he warns.
He adds that among these complications, heart failure is particularly prominent.
Misconceptions that can be dangerous
The doctor also warns about a number of wrong beliefs about heart health.
“The most common misconceptions about heart health are that the disease only affects the elderly and that those who do not have problems have a healthy heart, and chest pain is not the only sign of heart disease,” he says.
He emphasizes that cardiovascular diseases affect both men and women, and that women often have a worse outcome despite treatment.
Cholesterol is important and must be reduced with adequate therapy because it is a significant risk factor for these diseases. Even moderate physical activity, rather than maximal physical activity and exhaustion, has a significant preventive effect, advises the doctor.
Message to citizens: Small changes mean a lot
Finally, on the occasion of World Health Day, the professor sends a simple but important message to citizens, she writes N1 BiH.
“My message is that the health of your heart is mostly in your hands, small changes in your daily habits can prevent most cardiovascular diseases,” concludes Prof. Ph.D. Amra Macić-Džanković.
