Thirty years ago, the average heart disease patient went like this: he was male, older, and the heart disease was likely caused by smoking. If he went to the hospital with a heart attack, he might be one of three who did not survive. But new advances and technology in the field of heart disease have changed the outlook for patients dramatically.
“There has been a dramatic improvement over the last 30 years, and we hope for more dramatic change,” said Dr. Andrea Lavoie, a cardiologist with the Regina Qu’appelle Health Region.
Heart disease refers to any of type of affliction of the heart, the most common being conditions that cause heart attacks.
Since the stereotypical view of the heart patient was an older man, women and children weren’t studied as much. However, that has changed.
“We know that women often present with the same symptoms and signs, but oftentimes they’re not recognized,” Lavoie said. “Women present a little bit differently because of how we communicate those symptoms and how we hear those symptoms.”
Women’s heart attack symptoms, for example, often include back pain, jaw pain, and abdominal pain.
Doctors’ understanding of congenital heart defects has changed as well. In the 1950s, fewer than 20 per cent of infants born with complex heart defects reached adulthood. Today, more than 90 per cent do. This can be attributed to new technology and research.
Eight-year-old Emma Qually of Rose Valley was born with a heart murmur that was later diagnosed as Tetralogy of Fallot, a common congenital defect that results in low oxygenation of the blood. She received surgery at 10 months and recovered. Today, she says there’s nothing she can’t do that her friends can.
“You kind of just have to roll with the punches. A lot is thrown with you at once,” said her mom, Rhonda Qually. “You’re thrown into a situation that is heartbreaking and you just have to roll with it.”
Emma still has a heart murmur and has to see the cardiologist every two years. She may also need a pulmonary valve replacement in 30 years, but for now, Rhonda says she’s “really good.”
There has been more research done into how to care for children with congenital heart defects as they grow up, and adult heart disease centres are being expanded to care for the kids who all have complex and unique characteristics.
For cases of non-congenital heart defects, the main risk factor used to be smoking. Thirty years ago, half of adults smoked. Now, in Saskatchewan, 18 per cent do. This is still above the national average of 16 per cent. The biggest risk factors for heart disease now are unhealthy eating and a sedentary lifestyle. So what can people do to lower their risk of heart disease?
“It does seem very simple when we talk about it, although it’s harder to do when we’re talking about lifestyle modification,” Lavoie said.
Those lifestyle modifications include eating lots of fruits and vegetables, exercising, seeing the doctor, and of course, not smoking.
“You don’t have to necessarily train for a marathon,” she said. “Just walking 35-45 minutes five times a week to prevent health problems.”
It used to be that someone came in with a heart attack, was given medication and treated in the hospital and “you hoped they made it through.” Now with new treatments and medications that have been studied extensively, 95 per cent of Canadians with a heart attack will survive. However, there can still be some aftereffects to heart disease such as congestive heart, chronic problems with shortness of breath and discomfort, and not being able to do the same amount of activity without being fatigued.”
1.6 million Canadians live with the effects of heart disease.
500,000 Canadians live with heart failure.
One in 100 babies is born with a congenital heart defect.
But with new understanding of heart disease and how to prevent it, hopefully those stats will continue to decrease.
