How
exercise can be used to prevent Coronary Heart Disease
Coronary
Heart Disease, chronic illness in which the coronary
arteries, the vessels that supply oxygen-carrying blood to the heart, become
narrowed and unable to carry a normal amount of blood. Most often, the coronary
arteries become narrowed because of atherosclerosis(Arteriosclerosis,
a group of disorders of the arteries, the tubular vessels that carry
oxygen-carrying blood from the heart to the body’s organs and tissues), a process in which fatty deposits
called plaque build up on the inside wall of an artery Plaque is made of oily
molecules known as cholesterol, fibrous proteins, calcium deposits, tiny blood
cells known as platelets, and debris from dead cells. Plaque formation often
begins in adolescence and progresses very slowly over the course of decades.
Gradually, the growing plaque thickens the wall of the artery, reducing the
space for blood to flow through. When its blood supply
is reduced, the heart does not receive sufficient oxygen. This oxygen deficit
leads to two main consequences: chest pain known as angina pectoris, and heart
attack, in which part of the heart dies because of oxygen deprivation.
DIAGNOSIS
Patients with coronary heart disease
are encouraged to quit smoking, exercise regularly, and eat a low-fat diet.
A variety of simple diagnostic
methods may identify coronary heart disease before it becomes life threatening.
Regular physical examinations, coupled with a person’s family medical history,
may alert a physician that a patient has a high risk for heart disease.
Cholesterol screening, a blood test that measures cholesterol levels, can
identify people at risk for atherosclerosis.
An
electrocardiogram: (ECG also known as EKG) provides a
graphical picture of the different phases of the heartbeat. An EKG recorded
when a patient is at rest and indicate that blood supply of the heart is not
normal, and the ECG can detect damages from a previous heart attack. In an
exercise stress test, an ECG is recorded while patients is performing physical
activity such as walking on a treadmill or riding a stationary bicycle. As the
intensity of exercise increases, the Doctor looks for specific changes in the
ECG that indicate the heart is not getting enough oxygen
An electrocardiograph (ECG or EKG)
records the electrical activity of the heart. Preceding each contraction of the
heart muscle is an electrical impulse generated in the sinoatrial node; the
waves displayed in an EkG trace the path of that impulse as it spreads through
the heart. Irregularities in an ECG reflect disorders in the muscle, blood
supply, or neural control of the heart. The study of electrocardiograph EKG is
called electrocardiography
warning
signs or symptoms
Chest
discomfort (pain or pressure in the chest, jaw, or neck, possibly radiating
into the shoulder, arm, or back), unusual shortness of breath, dizziness or
light-headedness, and heart rhythm abnormalities (sensations of heart beat
skipping, palpitations, or thumping).
Risk
factors
Some of the risk factors
for coronary heart disease are beyond a person’s control. For example, a
person’s risk of developing coronary heart disease increases with age.
Hereditary factors may also increase
the risk for the disease. Males were once thought to be at greater risk of
coronary heart disease, but more recent studies show this is not true. About
equal numbers of women and men develop coronary heart disease. Heart attacks in
women are more likely to be fatal than in men. Women tend to develop the
disease later in life than men do. This is because the sex hormone estrogen
that circulates in women’s bodies helps protect them against atherosclerosis.
Therefore, most women do not develop coronary heart disease until after
menopause, when levels of protective estrogen markedly decrease.
Other risk factors for
coronary heart disease can be changed depending on a person’s lifestyle. These
modifiable risk factors include cigarette smoking, a sedentary lifestyle,
obesity, diabetes mellitus, and hypertension (high blood pressure). Perhaps the
most important modifiable risk factor, however, is high blood cholesterol. When
excess cholesterol circulates in the blood, it deposits in the wall of the
arteries, hastening the progression of atherosclerosis.
Exercise :
The heart is a muscle and needs exercise to stay in
good shape. When it's exercised, the heart can pump more blood through the body
and continue working at optimal efficiency with little strain. This will likely
help it to stay healthy longer.
Regular exercise also helps to keep arteries and
other blood vessels flexible, ensuring good blood flow and normal blood
pressure and cholesterol. A sedentary lifestyle is one of the major risk
factors (along with high blood pressure, abnormal values for blood lipids,
smoking, and obesity) for coronary heart
disease.
Evidence from many scientific studies shows that
reducing these risk factors decreases the chance of having a heart attack or
experiencing another cardiac event, such as a stroke, and reduces the
possibility of needing a coronary revascularization procedure (bypass surgery
or coronary angioplasty). Regular exercise has a favorable effect on many of
the established risk factors for cardiovascular disease.
For example, exercise promotes weight reduction and
can help reduce blood pressure.
Exercise can reduce “bad” cholesterol levels in the
blood (the low-density lipoprotein [LDL] level), as well as total cholesterol,
and can raise the “good” cholesterol (the high-density lipoprotein level [HDL]).
importance of Regular Exercise on coronary
disease Risk Factors
- Increase in exercise tolerance
- Reduction in body weight and obessity
- Reduction in blood pressure(HBP)
- Reduction in bad (LDL and total) cholesterol
- Increase in good (HDL) cholesterol
- Increase in insulin sensitivity
Importance of exercise on a person recovering from
coronary heart disease
1.
improvements
in muscular function and strength and improvement in the body’s ability to take
in and use oxygen (maximal oxygen consumption or aerobic capacity). As one’s
ability to transport and use oxygen improves, regular daily activities can be
performed with less fatigue. This is particularly important for patients with
coronary heart disease, whose exercise capacity is typically lower than that of
healthy individuals.
2.
There
is also evidence that exercise training improves the capacity of the blood vessels
to dilate in response to exercise or hormones, consistent with better vascular
wall function and an improved ability to provide oxygen to the muscles during
exercise.
3.
Studies measuring muscular strength and
flexibility before and after exercise programs suggest that there are
improvements in bone health and ability to perform daily activities, as well as
a lower likelihood of developing back pain and of disability, particularly in
older age groups.
First, if you currently have coronary heart disease
or are over 45 years of age and have 2 or more risk factors (immediate family
member with heart disease before age 55, cigarette smoking, high blood
pressure, abnormal cholesterol levels, diabetes, sedentary lifestyle, or
obesity), you should consult your physician before starting any type of
exercise.2 Clearly, most
people can derive significant benefits from integrating a half hour of moderate
activity into their day. If you know you simply cannot or will not set aside a
half hour of activity on a given day, then try to work more activities into the
day by taking the stairs rather than the elevator, or try walking rather than
driving a short distance to the store or you can park your car at a far
distance and take a walk to where you want to go. Try to work several shorter
periods of activity, such as 10 minutes, into your schedule. The most important
thing is to get started is by starting small. There is mounting evidence in the
scientific literature that physical activity and physical fitness have a
powerful influence on a host of chronic diseases, a fact underscored by the
recent Surgeon General’s report on Physical Activity and Health.4 Reducing the
risk of heart disease through greater physical activity could have an enormous
impact on health
Cardio (aerobic exercise). This makes your heart beat faster. It also lowers your
blood pressure. Depending on what exercise that has been prescribed for you.
Such as
v
Take a Walk
v
Jog round the field or up and down
the street
v
Jump rope
v
Ride on a Bicycle
v
Skip
v
Skate
v
Row
v
Dance
Strength training: Tones and builds up your muscles. Heavy weights may raise
your blood pressure short term. So stick with lighter weights and just lift
them more times. Try hand weights, weight machines at a gym, resistance bands,
or your own body weight.
A good approach is to do several
sets of each exercise, and then let those muscles rest a day or two between
sessions.
How to get use to exercise as a beginner
If you are new to exercise, you will
get the most from your workout if you follow these simple rules:
Start slow and continousely. The American Heart Association recommends you work up to
exercising on most days of the week. The more exercise you can do, the
healthier you -- and your heart -- will be. But any amount helps your health.
Build up gradually. Little by little, make your workouts longer or tougher over
time. You should be able to talk during your workout. If you can't, it's
probably too intense for you.
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