Maintaining a Healthy Heart this National Heart Month
In the UK, someone dies from heart or circulatory conditions every 3 minutes. National Heart Month provides a great opportunity to focus on our heart health.
In this article, Dr Dalby, consultant cardiologist, provides insight into the different actions that can be implemented to help our entire cardiovascular system, physical fitness and mental health, not to mention many other medical conditions.
Lifestyle and diet
A healthy lifestyle is the most important aspect of maintaining you heart health. This includes a healthy diet with an appropriate calorific intake, which avoids excessive salt, sugar and saturated fat, along with regular exercise. Guidelines suggest a minimum of 150 minutes of exercise per week; this is equivalent to 30 minutes of moderate exercise 5 times per week.
Symptoms
Symptoms of heart disease include chest pain, palpitations and shortness of breath or dizzy spells/collapses. If you have these symptoms, it is important to be investigated appropriately.
Risk Factors
Smoking, diabetes, high blood pressure, cholesterol, family history, and high body mass index are all established risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Addressing these through lifestyle changes and seeking appropriate medical care is essential to your cardiovascular health.
Screening and investigations for heart disease
Despite having no symptoms, many people are concerned with their heart health. These concerns can be addressed through health screening, which is an important component of maintaining cardiovascular health. Included in health screening are physical examinations, blood pressure checks, blood tests to check cholesterol levels and an ECG to look at the electrical conduction of the heart. Further investigations include an echocardiogram (ultrasound) to look at the muscle and valves of the heart, an exercise bike/treadmill test to assess the heart when it is under load, and a CT coronary angiogram to look at the coronary arteries themselves for evidence of hardening or narrowing.
Screening should be delivered with an individual patient-tailored approach with appropriate subsequent recommendations.
About Dr Dalby
Dr Miles Dalby is a consultant cardiologist specialising in all areas of general cardiology including chest pain, breathlessness, palpitations, high blood pressure and high cholesterol. Dr Dalby directs the cardiology investigation service at 9 Harley Street alongside his work, he is also an interventional cardiologist specialising also in transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) and coronary stent placement.
To find out more about Dr Dalby and to book an appointment, please click here.
