Coronary heart disease

Coronary Heart Disease is often known by various terms in society. Some call it "Seated wind", "Heart Attack", "Weak heart" and many other terms. Coronary heart disease or angina pectoris (a medical term) occurs when the blood vessels of the heart (coronary arteries) become narrowed. The heart's blood vessels have the function of flowing oxygen-rich blood to the heart muscle, so that the heart can pump blood properly. When the coronary arteries narrow, the intake/supply of oxygen to the heart will be disrupted, so that the heart cannot pump blood optimally. This is what causes complaints and we are familiar with coronary heart disease.

Coronary heart disease is caused by the presence of plaque (narrowing of the arteries due to accumulation of cholesterol, free radicals, and calcification that occurs in the coronary arteries) which causes narrowing of the arteries so that blood is not enough to supply the heart muscle cells. There are several types of coronary heart disease, namely stable angina, unstable angina to myocardial infarction. Stable angina is pain due to physical activity, emotion or stress, the pain does not last more than 15 minutes, complaints will be reduced by rest or using drugs such as ISDN (a nitrate drug that is consumed under the tongue). Unstable angina occurs when pain is experienced when doing light activities or at rest and complaints of chest pain that were previously experienced become more severe, frequent, and longer than what happened before. Unstable angina usually does not improve with medication or rest and lasts longer than 15-20 minutes. If unstable angina occurs and is not treated immediately, it will result in myocardial infarction, namely the presence of damaged heart muscle cells.

What are the signs of coronary heart disease? Coronary heart disease is characterized by chest pain that feels like pressure, feels heavy like being crushed by a heavy object (the heaviest can feel like a sensation of wanting to die), a burning feeling, or a feeling of choking. This pain is usually experienced in the left chest which can radiate to the neck, left shoulder, left arm, and back. There are also other symptoms such as shortness of breath, feeling like fainting, cold sweat, nausea, or vomiting. Unusual pain can also be experienced such as symptoms of an ulcer (pain or stabbing in the solar plexus area), especially in patients who have high blood sugar, elderly patients, and women.

What to do when we meet people with symptoms that lead to coronary heart disease or chest discomfort? In this condition, the patient must be immediately taken to the nearest hospital to get medical assistance in the emergency room. Do not let the sufferer think that it is just an ordinary illness / cold or even continue strenuous activities. The sufferer is in a calm state, takes deep breaths and is unemotional. This must be done immediately and quickly, because the patient will be able to experience rapid and sudden deterioration without signs that can be recognized immediately.

Who is at risk for coronary heart disease? Someone who is elderly, has a family history of coronary heart disease at a young age, has diseases such as high blood pressure (hypertension), cholesterol (dyslipidemia), high blood sugar (diabetes mellitus), active/passive smoking, obesity (overweight). )/metabolic syndrome, lack of exercise, and often occurs in the male sex (women have the same risk after menopause). So that people who are at risk, for example at the age of> 40 years, a person should often do regular check-ups/controls to monitor health conditions in order to prevent coronary heart disease.

If you have coronary heart disease or have had a ring installed, what things need to be done? Things to pay attention to, especially taking medication regularly, routine control to the cardiologist, controlling blood pressure, blood sugar and blood cholesterol, reducing fatty / high cholesterol foods, stopping smoking, reducing carbohydrate consumption, intake of salt / salty foods and meat red, increase consumption of vegetables and fruits, maintain/lose weight, exercise regularly 5-7x a week for at least 30 minutes of moderate activity such as walking, cycling or swimming.