Heart of the matter

Watch out for signs of a cardiovascular disease and follow these steps to stay healthy during the pandemic

BENGALURU: The raging pandemic has hit all of us real hard and has changed our lifestyle, eating habits and almost everything overnight. Senior citizens with underlying conditions like diabetes, hypertension and cardiovascular issues are more prone to get severely affected by the deadly virus. Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) has been the top killer globally.

With the outbreak of the pandemic, researchers have found a close link between Covid-19 outcomes and CVD. Likewise, it has been observed that Covid-19 could be associated with a high inflammatory burden, the so called inflammatory or “cytokine storm,” inducing vascular inflammation, myocarditis, and cardiac arrhythmias. This is why it is imperative to be aware of the ways of keeping one’s heart healthy.

How to keep heart healthy during pandemicAdapting to the new normal: Stay home, practice hand hygiene and sanitisation and wear masks while stepping out. Avoid crowded places. Make use of telemedicine: If you already have some sort of heart conditions, make sure to stay in touch with your cardiologist. Reach out to the concerned doctor via video consultations and make sure if you are hitting your health goals, taking medicines appropriately and more. 

Continue taking your medicines: Do not listen to confusing news and do not give up taking your regular medicines based on these news. It has been already proven that there is no link between blood pressure medicines and Covid-19 risks. Therefore, it is important for an individual to continue their regular medication (blood pressure or heart-related medication) without any disruption or failure. 
Follow healthy lifestyle habits: Eat healthy, exercise, get adequate rest and monitor blood pressure in case you have history of hypertension or heart failure.

(The author is Senior Consultant and Head of Interventional Cardiology, Sakra World Hospital)

Signs to watch out for

• Here are certain symptoms that may be indicative of a stroke or heart problems:
• Chest pain or pressure, especially during physical activity
• Facial drooping on one side
• Arm weakness or numbness on one side of the body
• Speech changes, including slurred or garbled speech
• Loss of vision
• Severe headache
• Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing at night 
• Leg swelling
• Dizziness
• Fainting
• Passing out

Eating healthy

• Include these to follow a heart-healthy eating pattern
• Plenty of vegetables, fruits and wholegrains. 
• A variety of healthy protein sources, especially fish and seafood, legumes (such as beans and lentils), nuts and seeds. Smaller amounts of eggs and lean poultry can also be included in a heart-healthy diet. If choosing red meat, make sure the meat is lean and limit to 1-3 times a week. 
• Unflavoured milk, yoghurt and cheese. Those with high blood cholesterol should choose reduced fat varieties. 
• Healthy fat choices with nuts, seeds, avocados, olives and their oils for cooking. 
• Herbs and spices to flavour foods, instead of adding salt.

What to do in an emergency?
In case of cardiac emergencies make sure you reach the hospital in time. The fear of Covid should not stop you from getting the necessary care for non-Covid emergencies. The best treatment in a heart attack remains an emergency angioplasty. Prompt assessment of a patient with chest pain and a quick angioplasty saves lives.