February is usually the time many people start thinking about hearts thanks to Valentine's Day and American Heart Month, but for the 15 million people affected by coronary artery disease (CAD) - the buildup of plaque in the arteries that could lead to a heart attack - December is an even better time to be heart aware."Between the days of December 25th and January 7th we have way more heart attacks than any other time of the year," Dr. Alpesh R. Shah, MD, a practicing cardiologist (heart specialist) in Lake Jackson, TX, shared in a recent interview with BlackDoctor.org. "Believe it or not," Dr. Shah added, "December 25th is one day of the year where we have more heart disease-related deaths compared to any other day of the year."
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The winter months are a special time of the year, where the amount of heart attacks goes up by almost 30 percent. Is this because of the cold temperatures? As Dr. Shah explains, there are various theories about why this may be happening. The heart may have more workload, require more oxygen, have more stress on itself (last minute holiday shopping frenzy, perhaps?) or there could be a hormone imbalance.
"When somebody gets coronary artery disease they develop significant narrowing. This narrowing eventually can cause a heart attack."
Coronary artery disease (CAD) Causes & Risk Factors
To protect your heart and help prevent coronary artery disease, Dr. Shah says the first step is being aware of your risk factors. According to the American Heart Association, these include:
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- High blood pressure
- High LDL cholesterol
- Diabetes
- Smoking
- Family history
- Being post-menopausal for women and older than 45 for men
- Obesity
“Coronary artery disease begins in childhood, so that by the teenage years, there is evidence that plaques that will stay with us for life are formed in most people,” said Edward A. Fisher, M.D., who is a former editor of the American Heart Association journal, ATVB.
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CAD Symptoms & Diagnosis
When narrowing of the arteries develops, blood flow to the heart is reduced, which means less oxygen is getting to the heart. How might you be able to tell this is happening? You may feel mild to severe chest pains or pressure that can spread to the arms or jaw.
For a proper diagnosis, your doctor will typically use an electrocardiogram (ECG) test, exercise stress test, or cardiac angiogram.
New Treatment Option
Some blockages can be treated with medication, while more severe blockages require bypass surgery. Within the last decade a vast majority of blockages have been fixed with a stent, a polymer-coated tube inserted into the artery that props it open and allows restoration of blood and oxygen to the heart muscle.
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In the last few years, however, Dr. Shah says that the medical community has realized polymer is a problem. Polymer, he explains, can lead to future complications like blood clots or re-narrowing of blood vessels. In October 2015, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Synergy polymer, the first and only stent with a bioabsorbable polymer. The drug coating and the polymer –– which holds the drug to the stent –– are fully absorbed by the body after delivering the drug to the artery. It is designed to enable more rapid healing, thereby reducing the risk of complications associated with long-term polymer exposure.
With the Synergy stent, Dr. Shah says, "This artery will actually have a chance to heal, won't have blood clots, arteries won't re-narrow and those patients will really benefit long term from the new stent."
Even with new technologies, prevention still remains the best medicine. Get daily exercise, watch what you eat, and discuss health history with your family and primary doctor. The same way you take extra care to winterize your car, you must also get your heart winter ready.
