National Heart Week: to reduce the number of heart attacks and the age of onset

The challenge for cardiologists involved in the National Heart Week is to reduce the number of heart attacks and delaying the age at which they occur, often before age 50, especially among smokers.

Infarction: a fatal disease

In fact, each year in France, 120,000 people suffer a heart attack and dies in three. However, even if the chances of survival increased, the number of heart, he does not fall.

International epidemiological study called Monica shows that deaths from myocardial infarction decreased by 27% in men and 21% among women over 10 years. Progress partly due to the improvement of care, both in emergencies and in therapeutic support medium and long term. However, this trend needs to be qualified because the number of myocardial remains stable and this event is always a significant risk of mortality and complications (heart failure, arrhythmias ...).

Myocardial also for women and young adults. In fact, in the presence of one or more risk factors, the natural protection that women have until menopause decreases: for example, smokers taking oral contraceptives are ten times more likely to die of a myocardial infarction than non-smokers. Myocardial turns out, moreover, more deadly for women (death of 2 against 1 of 3 men), the latter being less supported and less knowledgeable addressing specific symptoms (greater nervousness, nausea , fatigue ...). Finally, the cardiac complication is not the preserve of the elderly: 80% of victims under the age of 45 are smokers.

Act to prevent

To prevent stroke, it is necessary to adopt good habits from an early age and throughout life and have good reflexes against infarction.

Not smoking, adopt a balanced diet and regular physical activity - we do not repeat enough - significantly reduce the risk of heart attack. In addition, the presence of one of the main risk factors are smoking, high cholesterol, hypertension and diabetes should encourage them to change their lifestyle. Still need to be aware of cardiovascular risk, as among those most at risk, affected by at least three risk factors, only 17% perceive it.

Finally, at the first symptoms (pain in the chest that moves to the neck, arm, or the pit of the stomach), do not hesitate to call 15 (UAS). Earlier treatment is implemented, the better the chances of survival are important and preserved cardiac muscle. Thus, every minute counts, the aim being that ideally coronary artery (which feeds the heart muscle), blocked by a blood clot or uncorked in the early hours.