64% of deaths in Ukraine are due to cardiovascular diseases — 450 000 of lives lost every year. And these are not just numbers, because behind every heart attack or stroke is someone's unique story, cut short in an instant.
Cardiovascular diseases (hereinafter referred to as CVD) are the cause 30% premature deaths are among men of working age. In addition, CVDs are now increasingly occurring among young people. In other words, heart attacks and strokes don't care how old you are - 50 or 25.
In wartime, the value of human life is especially important. Taking care of your health is more important than ever. So to protect yourself from a heart attack, stroke, or other CVDs, it is worth understanding how they occur and what specific actions will help prevent them. After all, forewarned is forearmed!
How does cardiovascular disease develop?
Cardiovascular diseases are diseases of the heart muscle and circulatory system. You've probably heard of coronary artery disease, hypertension, or heart failure—these diseases can develop when there's insufficient blood supply to the heart and other organs due to narrowing or blockage of the arteries. As a result, an acute condition can occur—a myocardial infarction or stroke—which can lead to disability and even death.
Ischaemic heart disease (hereinafter referred to as CHD) is closely related to 46% deaths among Ukrainians. CHD occurs as a result of impaired blood flow to the heart muscle (myocardium) due to damage to the arteries. CHD often has an asymptomatic course until it leads to heart failure (reduced ability of the heart to pump blood through the vessels), angina (attacks of heart pain) or infarction, which is accompanied by the death of heart muscle tissue. Find out how to recognize its symptoms and provide first aid here.
Another of the most common diseases is cerebrovascular disease, the acute condition of which is stroke - a violation of cerebral blood circulation due to rupture or blockage of blood vessels. Without sufficient blood supply, brain cells are damaged and lose their function. In the case of a stroke, as in the case of a heart attack, it is important to provide assistance in the first 4 hours after the onset of symptoms. Here you will find more information about stroke symptoms.
Heart attacks and strokes are often a complication of arterial hypertension — a persistent increase in blood pressure above 140/90 mm Hg. The more blood presses on the walls of the arteries from the inside, the harder it is for the heart to work.
Up to 40% people with hypertension are unaware of their disease, as it is asymptomatic in the early stages. However, high blood pressure can cause more serious heart and vascular diseases.
How to prevent the development of cardiovascular disease: behavioral risk factors
There is good news. Heart health is a daily choice. After all, the development of CVD directly depends on four behavioral risk factors:
- Use of tobacco products or electronic smoking devices.
- Alcohol consumption.
- Unbalanced diet.
- Low physical activity.
Avoid using tobacco products and electronic smoking devices.
There is no such thing as safe smoking. Under the influence of tobacco smoke, blood cells stick to the walls of blood vessels and form blood clots - and this can lead to angina, heart attack or stroke. Both regular cigarettes and electronic cigarettes, as well as heated tobacco products and hookahs, pose a health threat. And even a few cigarettes from time to time still harm the heart and blood vessels, so the only strategy is to quit smoking or not start at all.
How to say goodbye to smoking forever?
- Tell your family and colleagues about your decision to quit tobacco or e-cigarettes, because their support is the most important.
- Set a quit date within the next 2 weeks.
- Make a list of situations where you usually smoke and think about how to avoid them.
- Get rid of reminders of smoking - throw away all tobacco products, lighters, and ashtrays from your home, car, and workplace.
- Be sure to notify your family doctor and get a free initial consultation on how to quit smoking.
Find more tips on quitting smoking here. And among the benefits of a tobacco-free life is that you will not only reduce the risk of developing CVD, but you will also learn to spend your time more efficiently and significantly save money that was previously spent on cigarettes.
Stop drinking alcohol.
Alcohol does not help relieve stress, but on the contrary, it affects both mental and physical health, and, in particular, the cardiovascular system. Heart cells are very sensitive to the toxic effects of alcohol, so its use can lead to heart attack, stroke, and arterial hypertension.
Pay attention: even a small amount of alcohol increases the risk of developing CVD. After all, as the World Health Organization emphasizes, there is no safe dose of alcohol!
How to give up alcohol?
- Don't drink alcohol for a few weeks and see how you feel physically and emotionally.
- Avoid situations, places, and people that encourage you to drink.
- Rid your home of alcohol.
- Deal with stress in a healthy way: instead of alcohol, choose walks in the fresh air, sports, meditation, and spending time with loved ones.
- Drink drinks without alcohol and sugar, and best of all, plain water.
A sober life will reduce the risk of developing CVD, increase your efficiency and concentration, and help improve relationships with loved ones.
Eat a balanced diet.
An unhealthy diet is a major risk factor for CVD and a cause of every fifth death in the world. Foods high in salt and sugar, trans fats, insufficient consumption of vegetables and fruits and, as a result, excess weight - all this leads to the development of CVDs: arterial hypertension, coronary heart disease, heart attack and stroke.
What does the WHO say? Here are some of its recommendations on how to improve your diet:
- Eat 400 g (or 4-5 servings) of vegetables and fruits every day. 1 serving is 1 medium-sized fruit or vegetable.
- Do not add salt to your food - your daily diet should contain no more than 1 tsp. of salt. Avoid using hidden salt - it is usually found in sausages, sauces, and canned food.
- Your daily dose of added sugar: up to 10 tsp. Added sugar is found in candy, chocolate, baked goods, honey, sweet drinks, etc., so it's better to replace them with fruits and berries.
- Eat more fiber — whole grains, legumes, and nuts are good sources of fiber. These foods lower blood cholesterol levels.
- Eat less trans fats — from store-bought pastries, fast food, and fried foods. Instead, choose sea fish, vegetable oils, nuts, and seeds — these are unique sources of omega-3 fatty acids, which have a beneficial effect on the cardiovascular system.
- Watch your portion sizes to avoid overeating.
A balanced diet helps maintain a healthy weight and helps improve heart function. It's also a great stress reliever, as the right nutrients can positively impact your mental health and emotional well-being. You can learn more about how to create your own healthy eating plan here. here.
Be physically active.
If you don't move enough, the force of your heart's contractions weakens and your blood vessels become less toned. A sedentary lifestyle also often leads to obesity, which puts additional strain on your cardiovascular system. On the other hand, exercise improves blood circulation and reduces the risk of blood clots in your blood vessels.
WHO recommends Getting at least 30 minutes of physical activity a day is one way to keep your heart healthy. Here are some tips for adding more movement to your life:
- Do some light exercise in the morning to help your body wake up faster.
- If you work while sitting, periodically warm up and go for short walks.
- Choose the stairs instead of the elevator, and walk more instead of using public transportation.
- Choose a physical activity that brings you pleasure - swim, run, play soccer, dance.
- Increase physical activity gradually to avoid harming your body. And if you have chronic diseases, consult your family doctor about the type and duration of exercise.
Regular physical activity helps lower blood pressure and control weight, and also strengthens skeletal and muscular tissues, develops coordination, reduces stress levels and increases overall body tone. Movement is life, and that says it all. See the infographic “How to protect yourself from heart attack and stroke“".
Why is it necessary to control blood pressure, cholesterol and body weight?
In addition to behavioral risk factors, the development of CVD is also influenced by biological indicators — such as blood pressure, cholesterol, and body mass index.
Blood pressure. High blood pressure cannot be felt physically, but it can imperceptibly damage arteries and create favorable conditions for CVD. Regular “jumps” of pressure can lead to atherosclerosis (blockage of arteries), aneurysms (expansion of blood vessel walls), and can also develop into a chronic condition - arterial hypertension.
Cholesterol level. Cholesterol is a substance that is important for the normal functioning of the body's cells. However, high levels of "bad" cholesterol (LDL cholesterol) in the blood form plaques on the walls of the arteries, impairing blood circulation - which leads to narrowing of the arteries, increased blood pressure and the risk of developing coronary heart disease and other CVDs.
Body weight. Overweight and obesity are a serious threat to the cardiovascular system, as the load on the heart muscle increases with the number of excess kilograms. Keep an eye on your body mass index (BMI), which can be measured using a simple formula: weight (kg) / height in meters squared (m2). If your figure is ≥ 25.0, you are probably overweight. But BMI does not always provide a complete picture, so it is also worth measuring your waist circumference, which indicates the distribution of fat in the body. Excess fat around the waist, especially in the abdominal area, may be associated with an increased risk of developing heart disease and diabetes. Typically, the risk increases for men with a waist circumference of more than 94 cm, and for women - more than 80 cm.
Stand guard over your heart!
A healthy lifestyle will help protect your heart and blood vessels from dangerous diseases and live a quality and fulfilling life! Remember to have regular check-ups with your family doctor to spot the first signs of disease in time and get recommendations for preventing CVD.
And if you feel pain and heaviness in your chest, have high blood pressure, frequent shortness of breath and swelling in your legs, you need to contact your family doctor immediately! This can really save your life, because in the early stages you can stop the development of the disease! And thanks to the “Affordable Medicines” program and the guaranteed medical care package, treatment of acute conditions is free of charge, and the costs for the treatment of arterial hypertension are refunded.
Preventing cardiovascular disease is much easier than spending years treating its consequences.
Choose a healthy lifestyle! Take care of your heart!
The materials were developed by the NGO "Life" in partnership with the Center for Public Health of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine for the information campaign "Guard your heart", which is implemented within the framework of the "Act for Health" project with financial support from Switzerland and aims to reduce the prevalence of non-communicable diseases in Ukraine and prevent premature mortality from NCDs in Ukraine.