Taking matters to the heart, Episode 17 of the TVUP series Kalusugan ay Karapatan shed light on heart diseases and how to keep the most important muscle of our body pumping and healthy. Hosted by UP Manila Chancellor Dr. Carmencita Padilla, the “Brave Heart” episode featured Dr. Eugene Reyes, Philippine General Hospital Division of Cardiovascular Medicine Chief and Dr. Adrian Manapat, Chair of the Philippine Board of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery as resource persons.
The heart on its own is a system that works tirelessly, day and night, to supply vital organs with oxygen and blood. Hence, there are several factors that decrease its optimal function which are generally labelled as heart disease.
Dr. Reyes clarified that ‘heart disease’ is an umbrella term for the disorders in the heart. The most common among Filipinos are myocarditis, inflammation of the heart muscle that reduces the heart’s ability to pump properly; pericarditis, inflammation of the sac that surrounds the heart; pericardial effusion, build-up of fluids around the heart caused by an infection, inflammation, or cancer that spread from other organs to the heart; and congenital heart diseases or defects in the heart present from birth.
On the other hand, stroke being a heart disease is a misconception. Dr. Reyes explained that stroke technically happens in the brain and not in the heart, and that the more proper term for stroke should be ‘brain attack’.
Risk Factors
Individuals with hypertension and diabetes are at higher risk for heart disease. While some risk factors cannot be avoided such as age and family history, majority of the risks are lifestylerelated. Lack of physical activity, smoking, excessive alcohol intake, high cholesterol, obesity, and non-consumption of fruits and vegetables increase the chances of having a heart disease.
“We have 70 million deaths worldwide due to cardiovascular disease. This is a pandemic due to the poor lifestyle which has been with us since the beginning of the 20th century,” Dr. Reyes remarked.
Symptoms of heart problems range from mild, to severe, to unstable. It can be mild at first which includes chest pain, shortness of breath, and/or getting tired easily. If symptoms progress to severe, the person gets tired easily with just mild exertion, chest pain lasts up to 15 minutes, and that pain climbs to the neck and sometimes to other parts of the body. During the unstable stage, the symptoms can lead to a heart attack if uncontrolled.
Prevention is Cure
Majority of heart diseases can still be managed through medication. However, when surgery is necessary, some procedures help restore blood flow for the healthy muscle to function again such as angioplasty and stenting which open up the clogged coronary arteries, and coronary artery bypass grafting where a healthy vein from the body is grafted to create a new passage around the blocked coronary artery to provide adequate blood supply to the heart muscle.
Dr. Manapat made it clear that lifestyle change prevents and cures heart disease and not these treatments. Both doctors could not emphasize enough the importance of maintaining a wellbalanced diet and regular exercise especially when reaching the age of 40. Parents are encouraged to be models to their children so that active lifestyle and good eating habits start young.
Heart health in the time of COVID-19
Dr. Manapat noted that home quarantine generally poses negative effects on health as people tend to overeat and have insufficient physical activity. It is now, more than ever, that staying active and choosing healthier options are vital to maintain a healthy heart. He reminded patients who are at risk or already diagnosed with a heart disease that they should not delay consulting a doctor, especially if experiencing symptoms.
Dr. Reyes mentioned how important it is to know and listen to one’s body. Because heart disease can be inherited, it is also necessary to know whether your parents developed a heart condition before. In this case, risks can be lowered by avoiding smoking and heavy drinking, checking blood pressure and blood sugar, losing weight, and eating fruits and vegetables which all contribute to a healthier heart.
Anne Marie Alto
Featured in UP Manila Healthscape (Special COVID-19 Issue No. 13, 07 August 2020)
