Revised the Asian Independent 16 oct to 31 oct 2019
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HEALTH<br />
<strong>16</strong>-10-<strong>2019</strong> <strong>to</strong> <strong>31</strong>-10-<strong>2019</strong><br />
15<br />
Heart attack and<br />
heart failure: Know<br />
<strong>the</strong> difference<br />
New Delhi - Heart attack, cardiac<br />
arrest, heart failure - all three refer <strong>to</strong><br />
a health emergency involving <strong>the</strong><br />
heart. And we often use <strong>the</strong> terms<br />
interchangeably, not knowing <strong>the</strong> difference<br />
between each of <strong>the</strong>m.<br />
Dr Ashok Seth, Chairman of Fortis<br />
Escorts Heart Institute, and Head of<br />
Cardiology Council of Fortis Group<br />
of Hospitals explains how a heart<br />
attack differs from a heart failure.<br />
When <strong>the</strong> heart is unable <strong>to</strong> pump<br />
blood as well as it should it is called<br />
heart failure. Narrowed arteries in<br />
your heart or high blood pressure,<br />
leave <strong>the</strong> heart weak, stiff and unable<br />
<strong>to</strong> pump blood efficiently. The term<br />
"congestive heart failure" comes from<br />
blood backing up in<strong>to</strong> or congesting<br />
<strong>the</strong> liver, abdomen, lower extremities<br />
and lungs.<br />
The symp<strong>to</strong>ms of heart failure<br />
symp<strong>to</strong>ms are shortness of breath<br />
(dyspnea) when you exert yourself or<br />
when you lie down; fatigue and weakness,<br />
swelling of abdomen, legs,<br />
ankles and feet, rapid or irregular<br />
heartbeat, reduced ability <strong>to</strong> exercise,<br />
persistent cough or wheezing with<br />
white or pink blood-tinged phlegm,<br />
increased need <strong>to</strong> urinate at night,<br />
sudden weight gain from fluid retention<br />
and nausea.<br />
Risk fac<strong>to</strong>rs for heart failure,<br />
include coronary heart disease, heart<br />
attack, diabetes, high BP, some diabetic<br />
medications, irregular heartbeat,<br />
congenital heart defect, obesity and<br />
substance abuse.<br />
A heart attack, on <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r hand,<br />
occurs when <strong>the</strong> flow of blood <strong>to</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />
heart is blocked by a build-up of fat,<br />
cholesterol and o<strong>the</strong>r substances,<br />
leading <strong>to</strong> <strong>the</strong> formation of plaque in<br />
arteries, which feed <strong>the</strong> heart (coronary<br />
arteries). A heart attack is also<br />
called myocardial infarction. It can be<br />
fatal, but treatment has improved dramatically<br />
over <strong>the</strong> years.<br />
Some symp<strong>to</strong>ms of a common<br />
heart attack include pressure, tightness,<br />
pain, or a squeezing or aching<br />
sensation in your chest or arms that<br />
may spread <strong>to</strong> your neck, jaw or back;<br />
indigestion, heartburn or abdominal<br />
pain; shortness of breath, cold sweat,<br />
fatigue, ligh<strong>the</strong>adedness or sudden<br />
dizziness.<br />
The experience of pain may vary<br />
from person <strong>to</strong> person. Some people<br />
experience mild pain, o<strong>the</strong>rs have<br />
more severe pain. Some people have<br />
no symp<strong>to</strong>ms, while for o<strong>the</strong>rs, <strong>the</strong><br />
first sign may be sudden cardiac<br />
arrest. The earliest warning may be<br />
recurrent chest pain (angina) that's<br />
triggered by exertion and relieved by<br />
rest.<br />
A heart attack differs from a condition<br />
in which your heart suddenly<br />
s<strong>to</strong>ps (sudden cardiac arrest, which<br />
occurs when an electrical disturbance<br />
disrupts your heart's pumping action<br />
and causes blood <strong>to</strong> s<strong>to</strong>p flowing <strong>to</strong><br />
<strong>the</strong> rest of your body).<br />
Here are a few measures <strong>to</strong> be<br />
taken before a patient is shifted <strong>to</strong> a<br />
hospital:<br />
*Make <strong>the</strong> person sit down and<br />
calm. Loosen his/her clothing.<br />
* Transport <strong>the</strong> patient <strong>to</strong> <strong>the</strong> nearest<br />
hospital or ambulance service<br />
immediately.<br />
* Nothing should be given except<br />
for sublingual (under <strong>the</strong> <strong>to</strong>ngue)<br />
or any o<strong>the</strong>r medication prescribed<br />
by <strong>the</strong> d<strong>oct</strong>or. A tablet of aspirin<br />
helps <strong>to</strong> limit <strong>the</strong> damage. A 300<br />
mg aspirin tablet chewed at <strong>the</strong><br />
time of heart attack can reduce <strong>the</strong><br />
mortality by 15 <strong>to</strong> 20 per cent.<br />
* If <strong>the</strong>re is no breathing or pulse,<br />
give cardiopulmonary resuscitation<br />
(CPR). Immediately place <strong>the</strong><br />
palm of your hand on <strong>the</strong> patient's<br />
chest just over <strong>the</strong> lower part of<br />
<strong>the</strong> sternum (breastbone) and press<br />
your hand in a pumping motion<br />
once or twice by using <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r<br />
hand.<br />
WANT <strong>to</strong> cut food<br />
Light smoking still<br />
damages lungs: Study<br />
New York, People who smoke<br />
fewer than five cigarettes a day<br />
cause long-term damage <strong>to</strong> <strong>the</strong>ir<br />
lungs, according <strong>to</strong> a new research.<br />
“Many people assume that<br />
smoking a few cigarettes a day isn’t<br />
so bad, but it turns out that <strong>the</strong> difference<br />
in loss of lung function<br />
between someone who smokes five<br />
cigarettes a day versus two packs a<br />
day is relatively small,” said study<br />
lead author Elizabeth Oelsner,<br />
Assistant Professor at Columbia<br />
University Vagelos College in <strong>the</strong><br />
US. For <strong>the</strong> study publsihed in The<br />
Lancet Respira<strong>to</strong>ry Medicine, <strong>the</strong><br />
researchers looked specifically at<br />
lung function–<strong>the</strong> amount of air a<br />
person can brea<strong>the</strong> in and out–in<br />
smokers, ex-smokers, and neversmokers.<br />
Lung function declines<br />
naturally with age (starting in one’s<br />
20s), and it’s well-known that<br />
smoking accelerates <strong>the</strong> decline.<br />
Because of <strong>the</strong> large number of<br />
people in <strong>the</strong> study–more than<br />
25,000– researchers could see differences<br />
in lung function among<br />
light smokers (less than 5 cigarettes<br />
per day) and heavy smokers (more<br />
than 30 per day) that o<strong>the</strong>r studies<br />
have been unable <strong>to</strong> detect.<br />
Their analysis found that lung<br />
function in light smokers declines<br />
at a rate much closer <strong>to</strong> that of<br />
heavy smokers, as compared <strong>to</strong><br />
non-smokers. This means that a<br />
light smoker could lose about <strong>the</strong><br />
same amount of lung function in<br />
one year as a heavy smoker might<br />
lose in nine months. The study also<br />
tested an assumption, based on a<br />
40-year-old study, that <strong>the</strong> rate of<br />
decline in lung capacity “normalises”<br />
within a few years of quitting<br />
smoking. The new study shows that<br />
although lung capacity declines at a<br />
much lower rate in ex-smokers than<br />
current smokers, <strong>the</strong> rate doesn’t<br />
normalise for at least 30 years.<br />
According <strong>to</strong> <strong>the</strong> researchers, light<br />
smokers may have a greater risk of<br />
developing chronic obstructive pulmonary<br />
disease (COPD).<br />
intake? Dine alone<br />
London-If you are planning <strong>to</strong> cut<br />
down on your daily food intake <strong>to</strong> get<br />
in<strong>to</strong> shape, better dine alone as a new<br />
research has found that people tend <strong>to</strong><br />
eat more with friends and family.<br />
Eating "socially" has a powerful<br />
effect on increasing food intake relative<br />
<strong>to</strong> dining alone, said <strong>the</strong> study published<br />
in <strong>the</strong> American Journal of Clinical<br />
Nutrition. "We found strong evidence<br />
that people eat more food when dining<br />
with friends and family than when<br />
alone," said research leader Helen<br />
Ruddock from <strong>the</strong> University of<br />
Birmingham in Britain.<br />
Previous studies found that those eating<br />
with o<strong>the</strong>rs ate up <strong>to</strong> 48 per cent<br />
more food than solo diners and women<br />
with obesity eating socially consumed<br />
up <strong>to</strong> 29 per cent more than when eating<br />
alone.<br />
For <strong>the</strong> study, <strong>the</strong> researchers evaluated<br />
42 existing studies of research in<strong>to</strong><br />
social dining.<br />
social bonds. The researchers called <strong>the</strong> <strong>the</strong> social facilitation of eating is less<br />
The researchers found that people eat phenomenon of eating more with friends pronounced amongst groups of<br />
more with friends and family because and family "social facilitation". strangers," Ruddock said.<br />
having food with o<strong>the</strong>rs is more enjoyable<br />
and social eating could increase tion effect on eating was not observed ancient hunter ga<strong>the</strong>rers shared food<br />
They found that this social facilita-<br />
The researchers explained that<br />
consumption.<br />
across studies which had looked at food because it ensured equitable food distribution.<br />
Social norms might 'permit' overeating<br />
in company but sanction it when eat-<br />
well acquainted. "People want <strong>to</strong> convey In <strong>the</strong> case of social facilitation, we<br />
intake amongst people who were not<br />
ing alone and providing food becomes positive impressions <strong>to</strong> strangers. have inherited a mechanism that now<br />
associated with praise and recognition Selecting small portions may provide a exerts a powerful influence on unhealthy<br />
from friends and family, streng<strong>the</strong>ning means of doing so and this may be why dietary intakes, <strong>the</strong> researchers said.