Interview with Professor Andris Skride:
What are the main factors affecting heart health? There are quite a few of them, and I will mention the main ones. First, insufficient physical activity and an unhealthy diet. Physical activity, first of all, means movement in daily life – how much we walk, how many stairs we climb, or whether we use an elevator. This is a good example for many who say they don't have time: please, you have the option not to use the elevator. How many floors could each person climb this way in a day? This doesn't replace strength exercises, which are also very much needed, but anyone can do them very simply – for example, stop at a sports ground on the way to the store and do a pull-up exercise even a couple of times at first, or at home every morning before brushing your teeth and showering, do 10 push-ups, and then one more every day. This practically doesn't change your daily plans, but with a little thought and putting all these things together, it will already have a positive impact on your health.
In terms of eating habits, our main problem is too much salt. Salt is a flavor enhancer, so you'll find it practically everywhere when eating out. My recommendation would be to cook more yourself, where you control how much and what spices you use. An adult should not consume more than 4 grams of salt per day. This is, in fact, a lot. If you weigh this amount, it will seem like you never eat that much, but there is a lot of salt in ready-made food and semi-finished products; you can read about it on the packaging. Another problem is the consumption of bad or saturated fats, found in fatty meats and confectionery. But I also have good news: fish and various seafood can practically be consumed without restriction; on the contrary, there will be more benefits. They contain many good or unsaturated fats, which are very necessary for the proper functioning of the body. Of course, smoking and excessive alcohol consumption, poor sleep, and stress are also factors that affect heart health. If we look at the diseases whose development these factors can promote, then blood pressure and cholesterol levels should be monitored. If these indicators are elevated, it must be addressed immediately, otherwise, sooner or later, it will definitely negatively affect heart health. Heart diseases can also be inherited genetically, so if any heart problems have been detected in relatives or there have been sudden, unexplained deaths of relatives, checks should definitely be carried out to rule out the possibility of such illnesses.
Men after the age of 40 and women after menopause should pay particular attention to their heart health. Unfortunately, for men, gender is also a risk factor, as women's hormonal system protects them better from acquired heart diseases. Additional attention should be paid when starting physical activities. If we haven't done anything active for a while, we need to listen carefully to our bodies, but not everyone understands what the body is saying, so a cardiologist's consultation would be highly desirable. For other muscles or the skeletal musculature and its training, it would be advisable to consult a physiotherapist.
To find out what the heart's health is, the most important thing, of course, is an electrocardiogram, which shows the heart's rhythm and changes in the heart muscle. After reaching forty years of age, all men, and women after their fiftieth birthday, should undergo bicycle ergometry, which is a recording of the heart's electrical activity during exercise, to see the condition of the blood vessels supplying the heart. For this purpose, at Professor Skride's Heart Clinic, we have prepared a special program that includes both examinations and specialist consultations. I would also remind you that it is important to perform an electrocardiogram, echocardiogram, and cholesterol tests even before the age of 18.
There are some situations where I would say that a specialist visit should not be postponed. Shortness of breath and marked fatigue even with minimal physical exertion, as well as swelling in the ankles, and accelerated heart rate that makes it difficult to walk more than 500 meters in 6 minutes, may indicate heart failure. Crushing or constricting chest pain with exertion is a symptom that often signals calcification of blood vessels. An irregular heart rhythm is a sign that attention should be paid to arrhythmia. In connection with the heart, we must certainly not ignore headaches and vision problems. But I urge you never to try to diagnose yourselves; go to a specialist! If it's a false alarm, you won't have anything to worry about, but if help is needed, then everything will happen faster, safer, and more correctly.
To take care of your heart, you don't have to do anything supernatural. We see that in other countries with similar climates, histories, and economic situations, heart health indicators are much better. This shows that everything is in our own hands. Live healthier and, most importantly, pay due attention if any of the risk factors apply to you. In my experience and communication with colleagues from other countries, I see that we treat our health relatively lightly. If medication has been prescribed, it must be taken. If an indicator in analyses is elevated, it must not be ignored. In this case, the state can help by providing examinations or compensating for medications, but there must be interaction, and people must be responsible for preventable risk factors.
