Text: Gayana Demurina Perhaps one of the first facts that we learn in childhood about the human body - from the work of the heart depends our life: as long as it beats, we exist. Unfortunately, heart problems may not be so obvious (sometimes we do not suspect them), but they can overtake everyone (even at an early age), often with irreversible consequences. According to WHO, in 2015, the most frequent cause of death in the world was coronary heart disease (almost 9 million cases), and this list has been headed for many years. On the eve of World Heart Day, which is celebrated on September 29, we talked with the cardiologist at the RF Defense Ministry's LRCC of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, Liya Gukasyan, on how to understand that the heart is not in order, which examinations will help find the ailment and why it is not worthwhile to lean on energy drinks.

How does the heart ache? Heart disease is the first thing that comes to mind as soon as there is pain in the left side of the chest. It can really point out the problem, but far from all the unpleasant sensations in this area indicate a malfunction of the heart - which, by the way, is not located on the left, but in the center of the chest. So, if you inhale or exhale sharply in the chest, you can talk, for example, about intercostal neuralgia - the pain caused by the compression of one of the intercostal nerves. This happens with a sharp muscle spasm, especially in an unusual position - for example, when you unsuccessfully looked up, tying shoelaces. Such pain most often calms down on inhalation or exhalation, can pass after stretching or movements of the shoulders. Since the lungs are located next to the heart, many of the processes associated with them can also be responded with chest pain. Understand what's the matter here, it's not so difficult, because other symptoms of the illness will also be connected - cough, high fever, dyspnea. But with panic attacks, when, however, also there are difficulties with breathing, it is more difficult to distinguish anxiety from a heart attack at times - their signs often coincide. However, in panic attacks, the pain does not arise in the heart, as an inexperienced person seems, but, for example, in spasmodic pectoral muscles. Seek urgent medical help in any case: a heart attack can end fatal, and panic attacks signal a serious psychological imbalance. But the typical pain that indicates problems with the heart is a burning, pressing pain behind the sternum, which does not change, no matter how you try to slow down or speed up your breathing or stretch your muscles. In the chest, there is a feeling of the load, as if a brick is pressing on top, or it seems that it is burning and squeezing inside. Sometimes the pain irradiates - "gives" to another area: under the shoulder blade, shoulder, stomach or even fingers. Such a pain is called angina pectoris and requires a mandatory call to the doctor - it occurs when the load on the heart is too high. Unfortunately, when atherosclerosis disrupts the normal blood supply of the heart, ischemic disease occurs (ischemia is a lack of "nutrition" of the body) - in this case, at first the exercise may be excessive for the heart while playing sports, but gradually it will become difficult to work and at rest. The attack of angina pectoris can develop into a myocardial infarction - when in the cardiac muscle due to prolonged ischemia there is a site of necrosis. This is deadly, so that burning or pressing pain behind the sternum - an occasion to consult a doctor without delay. Can the heart "freeze"? Another common problem with the heart is arrhythmia, that is, rhythm disturbance. In fact, the uniqueness of the heart is that it has a so-called pacemaker - a group of cells forming a pulse of cardiac contraction. For its work, even the signals of the nervous system are not needed - an isolated cardiac muscle in the laboratory will continue to decrease in itself. But for various reasons in the work of the heart there can be interruptions - the problem can be hidden in the driver of the rhythm or the areas by which the impulse is transmitted further. Tachycardia and bradycardia (too fast or slow heartbeat) are also considered types of arrhythmia. When arrhythmia, a person sometimes feels that the heart "freezes," feels like a gap in the heartbeat or just realizes the heartbeat. It happens that there is an arrhythmia, but the person does not feel anything. There are many types of arrhythmia, and only the examination will help determine the real danger. Arrhythmia may not talk about disorders in the body - from time to time, it may be encountered by any healthy person, depending on the circumstances, and respiratory arrhythmia in children, according to Leah Gukasyan, is a normal age-related feature. Arrhythmia can be a symptom of various diseases, for example myocarditis (inflammation of the heart muscle), thyroid disorders or the same panic attacks. Acute arrhythmia, including incompatible with life, can develop, for example, when the immersion of a heated body in a cold water. Unfortunately, on an ordinary electrocardiogram, arrhythmia can not always be fixed - for example, if it occurs only during stress, walking or in sleep. In such cases, a Holter exam is prescribed - a person walks with sensors and a device for recording an ECG for a day or two, and then again comes to the doctor. It sounds difficult, but this examination can be done in a regular polyclinic. Whether or not an arrhythmia will ever develop at all depends on many factors, including hereditary predisposition, current and experienced heart problems and lifestyle. Even energy drinks can provoke arrhythmia, so it's worth considering whether such a dope is necessary, especially in large quantities. Is it necessary to be afraid of heart problems? Although not every heart problem is fatal, ignoring symptoms is dangerous - ischemic disease, if left untreated, is likely to lead to myocardial infarction. As the cardiologist Alexei Utin writes in his blog, without treatment myocardial infarction will lead to the death of almost a third of patients - and the younger the age, the higher the risk. If the myocardial infarction has already developed, it is extremely important to begin treatment urgently, in the very first hours and even minutes. And, of course, it is better to prevent than treat - ischemic heart disease requires constant work on lifestyle and regular medication, but this can save a life. The transferred myocardial infarction always leaves consequences - on heart in a literal sense there is a cicatrix which prevents to it or him normally to be reduced. So statements like "my grandfather survived three heart attacks" should not be misleading - you can really survive if you are lucky, but here's a healthy heart that will remain in the past. For other cardiac disorders, the same rule applies: prevention is always better than treatment. Quite compatible with life even heart disease, although it also depends on the specific type. Vice is a change in the anatomical structure of the organ; the abnormal structure may be in the valves or partitions between parts of the heart, as well as in large vessels. Congenital malformations, as the term implies, are those with which the child is born, and the acquired defects can appear as a result of rheumatism, syphilis, ischemic heart disease or various tumors. In any case, the main function of the heart is under threat: it ceases to adequately supply oxygen to other organs and tissues, develops "oxygen hunger" and heart failure. In severe cases, only an operation will help save and prolong life, and more mild heart defects only impose certain limitations - for example, require frequent monitoring of a cardiologist and refusal of professional sports. How to follow the heart and not hurt him? Caring for the heart involves attention to one's health in general - it is especially sensitive to bad habits and suffers from them in the first place. Think about the heart is early, not counting that his disease is "senile" - according to some sources, cholesterol plaques begin to grow as early as adolescence. It is these plaques that cause atherosclerosis - the narrowing of the patency of the arteries, and if we are talking about coronary arteries feeding the heart itself, the lack of blood supply will lead to ischemic disease. Heredity is also important - according to Leah Gukasyan, in order to understand what may need to be dealt with, it's a good idea to make up the genealogical tree of diseases (it is useful not only for heart problems). With its help, you can prevent what is not always evident in medical research. For example, the prolonged QT interval syndrome, which may be the cause of sudden death at a young age, is inherited and found in boys. If the family of one of the partners had such cases, it is worthwhile to think about a thorough examination of the heart of the sons. A very similar congenital anomaly is Brugada's syndrome, which threatens with a sudden fatal outcome; if you know about the presence of this syndrome, its consequences can be successfully prevented. To examine the heart, if there are no complaints, costs once a year. As a rule, it is enough to examine, talk with a doctor and the usual ECG - it will not cover all the problems, but will accurately report the important. If the doctor realizes that it is not enough, he will prescribe an echocardiogram (ultrasound examination of the heart). Without special need, "just in case", to undergo echocardiography yearly does not make sense. It is also necessary to periodically give blood for analysis on the lipid spectrum, that is, different types of cholesterol. If the indicators are above the norm, you need to adjust them - diet or special drugs. Even if everything is in order, do not get carried away by animal fats, as they increase the risk of atherosclerosis. The diet with already arisen atherosclerosis is quite strict - it is easier and better to adhere to a balanced diet in advance. Moderate physical activity will help to support the heart in a tone, but this body is more likely to exhaust professional sport than to strengthen it. Unfortunately, even among young athletes there are deaths due to sudden cardiac arrest - this is due to a strain on the heart, which can become excessive if the disease is not diagnosed in time; of course, in such cases play a role and experiments with banned doping agents.

Both cardiovascular and strength exercises are useful and recommended, including for heart health, but it is important to observe the so-called target heart rate interval: for a 30-year-old man it is 95-162 beats per minute. Now it's much easier to watch the pulse than before - this is done by fitness trackers. A new model of Apple Watch, for example, also notifies the owner about irregularities in the rhythm of the heart and warns of potential problems. Photos: Supak - stock. adobe. com, benschonewille - stock. adobe. com Original article: Gone in the heels:.

How to take care of the heart.