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Heart Week
Heart Week 2009 - May
Two out of three Australian families are affected by heart disease. HeartWeek is all about getting parents to get active with their children. So just what is heart disease, how do we know if we have it and how can we avoid it and make sure we can hang around with our families a little while longer read on
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Statistics:
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the term used for heart, stroke and blood vessel diseases. CVD is the leading cause of death in Australia, accounting for 36 per cent of all deaths in Australia in 2004. It kills one Australian every ten minutes.
CVD is one of Australia's largest health problems. Despite improvements over the last few decades, the health and economic burden of CVD exceeds that of any other disease.
Cardiovascular disease:
Is heart, stroke and blood vessel disease.
Kills one Australian every ten minutes.
Affects more than 3.5 million Australians.
Prevents 1.4 million people from living a full life because of disability caused by the disease.
Was suffered by one in six Australians in 2004, and affected two out of three families.
Claimed the lives of almost 48,000 Australians (35 per cent of all deaths) in 2004 - deaths that are largely preventable.
Killed almost 11,500 Australian women in 2004, more than four times the number who die from breast cancer.
CVD Risk Factors:
'Risk factors' for heart disease are characteristics that increase our chance of developing heart disease. These include:
smoking
high blood cholesterol
physical inactivity
diabetes
high blood pressure
being overweight
depression, social isolation and lack of social support.
Being male and having a family history of early death from heart disease are also risk factors for developing heart disease. Leading a healthy lifestyle and following medical advice to reduce or remove risk factors over which we have some control, is the best way to reduce the risk of developing heart disease, and to help prevent it getting worse if it already exists.
Warning Signs:
The warning signs of heart attack vary. The symptoms usually last for at least 10 minutes and you may experience more than one of the symptoms below.
Pain in the chest
A heart attack usually causes discomfort or pain in the centre of the chest. The pain may come on suddenly, or sometimes starts slowly, developing over minutes. It may feel like tightness, pressure, heaviness, fullness, or squeezing. The feeling has been described as: 'like a steel band tightening around my chest', 'like an elephant sitting on my chest' or 'like a red hot poker in the centre of my chest'. The pain may be severe, moderate or even mild.
Pain spreading
The chest discomfort may spread to the neck and throat, jaw, shoulders, the back, either or both arms and even into the wrists and hands.
Discomfort in the upper body
Some people do not get any chest pain -only discomfort in parts of the upper body. There may be a choking feeling in the throat. The arms may feel 'heavy' or 'useless'.
Other symptoms
Often there may also be difficulty breathing, nausea or vomiting, a cold sweat or a feeling of being dizzy or light-headed.
What to do:
If you experience any of the warning signs of heart attack mentioned above:
1. Immediately stop what you are doing and rest.
2. If you are with someone, tell them what you are experiencing.
3. If your symptoms are severe, get worse quickly or last for 10 minutes (even if they are mild), this is an emergency. Get help fast. Call triple zero (000) and ask for the ambulance service.
4. Don't hang up. The operator will give you advice before the ambulance arrives.
5. If calling 000 from your mobile phone does not work, try calling 112.
If you are with someone who may be having a heart attack, take charge and follow the steps above. Stay with the person until the ambulance arrives. In all situations, when the warning signs of heart attack are experienced, we advise calling 000 for an ambulance. The operator will give advice on what to do before the ambulance arrives. If calling 000 from your mobile phone does not work, try calling 112.
Preventing CVD:
Cardiovascular disease is largely a preventable disease, that is, you can avoid or prevent its onset by improving your lifestyle. Key tips are to;
Stop smoking
Ensure you are in the healthy weight range
Regularly check your cholesterol, blood sugar and blood pressure levels if you dont know your levels organise a workplace health check or visit your GP immediately.
Keep physically active at least 30 mins each and every day
Eat a diet rich in fruit and vegetables and low in fats, sugars and salts.
Limit or avoid alcohol