Heart disease can attack anyone, not only old age but also found at a young age. Sudden death is most often caused by heart disease. Sudden cardiac death or sudden cardiac death is sudden unexpected death without previous trauma, which occurs in a short time, usually less than 1 hour from the onset of symptoms. As many as 75 percent of the causes of sudden cardiac death are caused by coronary heart disease. The second cause is cardiomyopathy, namely abnormalities in the heart muscle such as dilated cardiomyopathies, hypertrophic cardiomyopathies and Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Dysplasia (ARVD). In addition, syndromes of heart rhythm disturbances, for example long QT syndrome, Brugada syndrome, early repolarization syndrome, are also common causes of sudden cardiac death, especially at a young age. The age that most often experiences sudden cardiac death is in the age range of 30-40 years.
The incidence of sudden cardiac death in males is twice the incidence in females. Coronary heart disease is more common in men in the younger age group, but in the older age group, namely at the age of more than 50 years, the incidence rate in women is higher. Menopause and the hormone estrogen are also associated with coronary heart disease.
Currently there is a shift in the age trend of coronary heart disease, this disease is mostly experienced at a young age, namely in the age range of 25-30 years. The most common risk factors are smokers and people with a family history of heart disease. Several other risk factors that cause coronary heart disease are high blood pressure (hypertension), diabetes and dyslipidemia.
The most common initial symptom is chest pain, which is also known as angina pectoris. It feels like being pressed or squeezed by a heavy object or feels hot, which lasts more than 15-20 minutes which can radiate to the neck, shoulders or back and is usually accompanied by additional symptoms such as cold sweats, nausea, vomiting and shortness of breath.
However, there are times when complaints of chest pain are not felt, especially in diabetic patients and the elderly. Without complaints of chest pain at any time sudden cardiac death can occur.
For that, we should continue to maintain a healthy lifestyle to reduce risk factors for heart disease. HEALTHY strategies can be applied to a healthy heart, namely, balance nutrition, get rid of cigarettes, deal with and deal with stress, monitor blood pressure and exercise regularly.
The recommended type of exercise is aerobics. The frequency is 3-5 times a week, at least 30 minutes. It's just that, the choice and intensity of exercise also differs for each individual. That's because the condition and functional capacity of each person is different. The treadmill test is one of the tests that can be carried out to determine a person's functional capacity so that specific and appropriate training programs can then be made.
This article was written by dr. Ina Nadia, Sp.JP, FIHA (Cardiologist at EMC Sentul Hospital). Dr. Ina Nadia's practice schedule: Monday & Wednesday, 08.00 – 17.00 ; and Friday from 14.00 – 17.00