Manama, July 27 / BNA / Dean. Dr. Haitham Amin, Head of Cardiology Department at the Mohammed Bin Khalifa Heart Center (MKCC) and Head of the National Program for Acute Heart Attacks, confirmed that the Kingdom of Bahrain has taken major steps to continue improving public health and providing high-quality services in the health field. care sector.
Dr. Amin added that the launch of the “Treasure Your Heart” campaign aims to improve public knowledge of the causes of heart diseases, with a focus on diseases that affect the heart arteries, especially heart attacks and coronary artery disease – number one. Cause of death around the world.
He explained that coronary artery disease occurs when there is a narrowing or blockage in the arteries of the heart due to the accumulation of cholesterol and the formation of plaques. Over time, this results in reduced blood flow to the heart muscle causing symptoms to develop. Sudden blockage of a heart artery caused by a blood clot leads to a heart attack with serious complications including death.
Dr. Amin listed several risk factors for coronary artery disease. They can be broken down into non-modifiable causes such as age, strong family history and gender, and modifiable risk factors including diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, smoking, obesity, poor diet and lack of exercise.
The chief of cardiology at the MKCC explained that symptoms of a heart attack are usually described as chest pain that may occur at rest or be preceded by psychological or physical stress. This pain is described as a feeling of heaviness or burning that gradually increases and reaches its maximum in about 30 minutes. The pain may spread to the shoulders, arms, jaw, or upper back. It may be associated with shortness of breath, sweating, heart palpitations, dizziness or fainting. As soon as these symptoms appear, stress that the individual should call National Ambulance (999) or be taken to the nearest emergency room or local health center.
Dr. Haitham Amin stated that prevention is better than cure and that 80% of heart attacks can be prevented through healthy lifestyle choices and strict control of the modifiable cardiac risk factors mentioned above. This includes careful control of sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol, as well as lifestyle changes that include exercising, eating healthy, maintaining an ideal weight and avoiding all forms of smoking.
According to the World Health Organization, an estimated 17.9 million people died from cardiovascular disease in 2019, accounting for 32% of all global deaths. 85% of these deaths were due to heart attacks and strokes.
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