Be kind, don't leave a scar on your heart

Seek medical help immediately if you experience chest pain in order to reduce the risk of heart disease, according to experts.

Speaking at a World Heart Day event on Saturday at The Address Marina, organised by Dr Sulaiman Al Habib Medical Group in coordination with Khaleej Times, Dr Albert E Alahmar, said that residents need to stop ignoring chest pains or delaying their checkups. World Heart Day falls on September 29 every year.

 Figures by the Dubai Health Authority (DHA) show that one in four people in the UAE are killed by heart disease. "These are the figures in this part of the world and it is very striking. I think education for everybody is essential to make sure we reduce the risk of heart disease," said Dr Alahmar, the consultant interventional cardiologist at Dr Sulaiman Al Habib Hospital, Dubai.

"If you're having chest pain, please call 999 and visit a hospital. Get checked, there's no harm in being told everything is normal as opposed to a heart attack.

"What is heart disease? You've heard these many times:  heart disease is the main killer' or 'people are dying because of their hearts'. Every year, in Europe alone, there's about 3.8 million who die because of heart disease.

"This is more than the amount of people who died in the Second World War. So, you can imagine how high risky it is and how important is it to be preventive in those regards."

Dr Alahmar said that heart attacks leave scars on a person's heart, ultimately impacting their lifespan.  "A heart attack leaves scar on everybody's heart if it's not treated immediately and that scar will stay them in their hearts for the rest of their lives, impacting on their long life survival and further events.

"People with scars have a high tendency to go into cardiac arrest when the heart stops or goes very fast. If we can prevent the scar, that's massive benefit and that's been my advice for everybody.

"Please don't wait until the next day to see the specialist or the consultant. This is what needs to change in the UAE, I know I cannot change the lifestyle of people, however, we can provide state of the art treatment in this part of the world. I hope people will start thinking about it." Dr Alahmar pointed out that if a person experiences chest pain in the early hours of the morning, it could most likely be a heart attack. He said this is due to certain hormones that rise in the human body at around 5 or 6am.  "If somebody wakes up at 5 in the morning with a chest pain, you can almost guarantee it's a heart attack unless proven otherwise," he said.

Even Steve Jobs used to limit time his children spent on technology

Heart disease may occur mainly in adults, however, doctors have warned to keep children's hearts healthy as well.

Dr Hiba Kurjieh, a clinical dietitian at Dr Sulaiman Al Habib Hospital, said that 'inactivity' is one of the top contributors to heart diseases and the amount of time spent "sitting around using social media and on mobile phones" need to be reduced.

Dr Kurjieh said that she receives one to two children "every day" who are not active and are spending excessive time on technology.

"As much as technology is good, we have to limit the use of social media and iPhones, it's making us inactive. There are nine-year-olds here that are obese and they just don't know," she said. "When we were young, we used to play all the time and create things to play with, Now, they're not active. If you have kids limit the time of social media and Internet. Even Steve Jobs used to limit the time of technology usage for his kids.

"I'm trying to ask parents to commit their kids into certain exercise. We should do three hours a week of extra activity. We should work out, walk, dance or swim. We should always be able to find time - half hour or 40 minutes a day, it's very important."

Dr Kurjieh also touched on some key elements that add to the risk of heart disease. She said heart disease could occur due to genetics, obesity, smoking, an unhealthy diet, inactivity, diabetes, hypertension, high blood cholesterol and age.

Maintaining a healthy lifestyle is imperative in order to reduce the risk of heart disease, according to Dr Kurjieh.

"What I say to my patients every day is that our mouth is the door to sickness or health so we have to be smart when choosing what goes inside our mouth.

She said residents should eat heart-healthy foods, such as cold water fish (salmon, trout or tuna) as they are rich in Omega-3. She recommended nuts, brown rice, oatmeal, blueberries, grapes, tomatoes, green leafy vegetables and fruits, dark chocolate and tea.

However, these food items should be consumed in moderation, the doctor added.

Steps for a heart healthy lifestyle

> Eat less cholesterol saturated fat, trans fat and sodium

> Eat more fibres, colorful and wholesome foods

> Reduce your weight

> Increase physical activity

> Eat smart and be more aware of what's going into your body

Recommended heart healthy foods

> Cold water fish, such as trout, salmon and tuna, are rich in Omega-3 fatty acids and folate

> Nuts, such as almonds, walnuts and peanuts

> Blueberries, grapes and tomatoes are rich in antioxidants

> Green leafy vegetables

> Fruits

> Dark chocolate

> Tea

> All of these foods should be taken in moderation

Source: Khaleej Times