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Having Sense Of Security Lessens Risk Of Heart Attacks: Study

Having a sense of protection against crime is associated with a 9 per cent lower risk of premature mortality and a 6 per cent lower likelihood of a heart attack, per study of over 35,000 adults presented at the ESC Congress 2023. "There is increasing evidence that the neighbourhood we live in affects our health," said study author Dr Mengya Li of the National Center for Cardiovascular Diseases, Beijing, China.

"This study highlights the importance of many aspects of our surroundings for heart health and longevity, including feeling safe, having shops, transport and parks close by, cleanliness, and feeling that our neighbourhood is a good place to live and to raise children." The area Environment Walkability Scale (NEWS), administered by trained research workers, was used to gather baseline data on the area environment.

There are eight subscales in the questionnaire. A total NEWS score was calculated by adding the scores for each subscale. High marks demonstrated favourable opinions of the neighbourhood. The eight subscales covered: 1) how long it takes to walk to shops, restaurants, banks, pharmacies, work, transport stops and parks; 2) perceived ease of walking to shops and transport stops; 3) the distance between intersections (which indicates ease of getting around); 4) infrastructure for walking/cycling (e.G. Pavements to walk on); 5) aesthetics (e.G. Trees shading the pavement, interesting things to look at while walking, freedom from litter); 6) safety from traffic (e.G. The amount of traffic, safety crossing the street); 7) safety from crime (e.G. Street lighting at night; crime rate and safety walking during the day and night); and 8) community satisfaction (e.G. With public transportation, commute to work, access to shopping, a good place to live and to raise children).

Participants were followed up for all-cause death, death due to CVD, major CVD events (defined as death from cardiovascular causes, non-fatal myocardial infarction, stroke, or heart failure), myocardial infarction, stroke and heart failure. The primary outcome was a composite of major CVD events and all-cause mortality. The researchers analysed the associations between each subscale and the total score and health outcomes after adjusting for factors that could influence the relationships including age, sex, body mass index, education, household income, marital status, tobacco consumption, alcohol consumption, physical activity, household cooking fuel, pollution, history of CVD, high blood pressure, diabetes and regular medications.

The subscale with the greatest association with health outcomes was safety from crime. A higher neighbourhood safety score was associated with a 9 per cent lower risk of death during follow-up, 10 per cent lower risk of death from CVD, 3 per cent reduced likelihood of major CVDs, 6 per cent reduced risk of myocardial infarction and 10 per cent lower likelihood of heart failure. For all subscales, a high score was linked with a lower risk of all-cause death during follow-up, with percentages ranging from 2 per cent to 9 per cent lower risk. In addition, a high score on the subscale covering how long it takes to walk to amenities was also associated with 1 per cent lower risks of death due to CVD, major CVD and heart attack.

Dr Li said: "While some of the percentage reductions in risk are small, they affect large numbers of people and therefore could have a wide-ranging impact. The findings can be used by policymakers to take action to mitigate the adverse effect of poor community conditions on health, such as improving local amenities and transport connectivity, providing green spaces and street lighting, and building paths for walking, running and cycling." (ANI)

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

What Blood Pressure Targets Should I Aim For After A Heart Attack?

Dr. Sica answers the question: 'Blood Pressure Target Post-Heart Attack?'

ByDomenic Sica, M.D., Chairman, Clinical Pharmacology and Hypertension, Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center

— -- Question: What Blood Pressure Targets Should I Aim For After A Heart Attack?

Answer: After you've had a heart attack, you have to be very careful about the blood pressure. And the type of heart attack comes into play. People who've had a, what we call a big heart attack, oftentimes have low blood pressures after the event, and in those people, there isn't a goal blood pressure. You try to give the medicines that we usually give after a heart attack, and hope the blood pressure doesn't drop too much.

Other less severe forms of a heart attack, where blood pressures remain elevated after the heart attack, lead us for goal of 130/80, if not a little bit lower. And remember 130/80 is kind of an average number that we go for, not just one point in time reading. So, when you're looking at this patient, and the doctors looking at it, they're trying to average out the value, to in essence be below 130/80.

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Is EKG A Good Annual Screening Test For Heart Disease?

An electrocardiogram (EKG) measures your heart's electrical activity and may detect a heart attack.  

I was not worried about my heart on the day of my annual physical. At 63, I was a non-smoker with a BMI of 20 who regularly exercised and took no daily medicines. I had an EKG, which showed no abnormalities. The day after, I had a heart attack in an unlikely scenario.

Of note: Healthcare providers perform EKGs to diagnose heart attacks or arrhythmias in people with chest pain, heart palpitations, and heavy sweating. Generally, EKGs do not predict future heart attacks, but certain findings on an EKG may indicate an increased risk of heart attack.

Read on to learn how an EKG and other tests may detect heart attacks, including silent ones. 

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I awoke that morning with an odd, persistent ache in my left arm and vague jaw pain. I noticed a tightness in my chest—not exactly painful, but uncomfortable and strange.  My daughter told me to get dressed and took me to the emergency room. My chest discomfort worsened on the short drive to the hospital. I began to feel queasy and developed a dry, throat-clearing cough. Within minutes of arriving at the emergency room, I was wheeled into the hospital's cath lab, where a cardiac team prepared to perform an emergency angioplasty. During an angioplasty, a cardiologist uses a balloon to stretch open blocked arteries and allow blood to flow to the heart. Later, I learned that some plaque had ruptured in my left anterior descending artery (LAD), causing a blockage. A stent opened the blood vessel and restored blood flow. My recovery protocol was pretty standard: A few days in the hospital, regular visits to a cardiologist, and a regimen of medicines to prevent another heart attack. Of course, the looming question: Why did a "low cardiac risk" person like me have such a major cardiac event? Healthcare providers said my heart attack was unusual, and they could not pinpoint the cause with 100% certainty. Signs and symptoms of a heart attack may include: Anxiety Chest pain Cough Feeling dizzy or lightheaded Heart palpitations Heavy sweating Nausea Passing out Shortness of breath Vomiting Heart attacks may present differently in certain people, such as older adults, those with diabetes, and women. For example, heart attacks may cause little to no chest pain, unexplained fatigue, and weakness. Call 911 immediately if you or someone near you develops signs and symptoms of a heart attack. An ambulance often gets you to the hospital quickly, and emergency medical technicians can treat you as soon as they arrive. Silent Heart Attack Sometimes, heart attacks do not cause symptoms, also known as silent heart attacks. Typically, healthcare providers do not diagnose silent heart attacks until the person develops an arrhythmia (irregular heartbeat), another heart attack, or heart failure. People who are likelier to have a silent heart attack than others include people with diabetes, which may affect how they feel pain, or people assigned female at birth. An EKG is a test that measures your heart's electrical activity. Every time your heart beats, an electrical signal goes through it. The electrical signal tells your heart's chambers to squeeze in rhythm, helping pump blood throughout your body. An EKG displays those electrical signals as wavy lines on a monitor. A healthcare provider examines those lines and looks for abnormalities, such as: The electrical signals are weak Your heart beats too slowly or quickly Your heart chambers are enlarged Your heart rhythm is irregular Healthcare providers often use EKGs to detect heart conditions like arrhythmias and heart attacks. An EKG is one of the most common tests healthcare providers use to detect a heart attack. People with heart attack symptoms often receive an EKG immediately upon arriving at an emergency room. Healthcare providers can use EKGs to detect previous heart attacks and assess the risk of future ones. Previous Heart Attack An EKG may show permanent changes in your heart's electrical activity following a heart attack. In other words, an EKG can show if you previously had a heart attack but did not know it. Sometimes, healthcare providers notice signs of a silent heart attack days to months after it occurs. Predict a Future Heart Attack A study published in 2019 found that an EKG is likelier to detect abnormalities in people with a high risk of heart disease than others. The researchers noted that EKGs may help detect and treat heart disease earlier than average, which may help prevent heart attacks. A healthcare provider may order other tests to confirm a heart attack diagnosis or determine damage in your heart. Other tests that may detect a heart attack include: Blood tests: Cardio biomarkers like creatine kinase-MB (CKMB), myoglobin, and troponin are proteins that a healthcare provider can measure in your blood. Those proteins indicate damage to your heart muscle. Coronary angiography, or angiogram: A healthcare provider will administer a dye through your blood vessels. An angiogram shows how well the dye flows, which may detect blockages. An angiogram may not detect smooth blockages in the blood vessels. Women are more likely to have smooth blockages than men. Heart imaging tests: A healthcare provider may use a CT scan or an echocardiogram (ultrasound) to produce images of the heart and ensure it works correctly. Nuclear heart scan: This test shows damage in your heart due to a lack of blood flow. Nuclear heart scans use radioactive material that may cause harm to pregnant or breastfeeding people.  Stress test: This test shows how well your heart works when exercising. Sometimes, healthcare providers use medicines that get your heart working hard if you cannot exercise. A stress test can measure the damage caused by a heart attack or if you have coronary artery disease (CAD). CAD is a common cause of heart attacks if fatty substances build up in the vessels that supply blood to your heart. An EKG may detect a heart attack by measuring your heart's electrical activity. The test helps identify silent heart attacks days to months after they happen and may assess heart attack risk in some people. Call 911 right away if you or someone near you has heart attack signs and symptoms, like chest pain, heart palpitations, and heavy sweating. A healthcare provider will likely administer an EKG immediately upon arrival at an emergency room.

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