Heart Attack, The UK's Single Biggest Killer

I am no different to anyone else, I have been directly affected by loosing my father to a heart attack, he died in March 2006 which seems a long time ago now but the memory of seeing him in hospital after he died is still pretty vivid.

For all intents and purposes my father seemed pretty healthy, he was not over weight and led an active and fit life although it has to be said he was known to suffer from mild angina and was getting on in years. He died at the age of 78 years and was exactly 30 years older than me.

I honestly believe that the day my father died there would have been little that anyone could have done about it, he had been doing some gardening and came in to wash his hands when he literally collapsed and died.

My mother went for help and an ambulance was called immediately but my father was diagnosed as being dead on arrival at the hospital although they suspected he had died even before the ambulance had arrived. With no defibrillator available, getting trained medical help as quickly as possible is the key to most peoples survival and that was done in this case.

I suppose the shock factor was the worst part we all had to deal with, he was pretty fit, active and certainly retained his mental ability despite his advancing years so we all thought that he still had plenty of good years ahead of him.

When it happened it really made me take stock of my life and the lifestyle I was leading as a stressed manager working in a high pressure environment and not taking particularly good care of myself.

What I do believe however is that there are a large number of people out there who's lives could have been saved if the correct action had been taken. Very often people do not seek medical help quickly enough because they simply don't realize that a heart attack has taken place.

I also wonder whether with more funding and support if more could have been done in terms of preventative medicines and improved treatment, potentially that may have helped my father live a while longer.

To donate to the British Heart Foundation just click on this link

So what are the main things you can do to keep your heart healthy, its not rocket science but make sure you don't overdo it when starting a new fitness regime, check with your doctor if you need to.

• Take enough exercise


• Maintain a healthy diet


• Don't smoke


• Drink in moderation


• Manage your stress levels


• Check your blood pressure regularly

You may not be able to take part in the Tour de France but there are other ways to take exercise, take a walk, dig the garden, use the stairs instead of a lift or escalator, park a little way off from where you work and walk the last bit, get creative and I am sure you can find a way to take more exercise.

If you suffer from a heart attack it is extremely important to get treatment as early as possible.

One of the main reasons for delaying getting treatment is not knowing you have had a heart attack so please make sure you know what the symptoms are and get help as soon as possible.

Common, or typical symptoms can be found at:
Heart Attack Symptoms and are summarized below for convenience.

Common, or typical symptoms include:

* Central chest pain
* The pain can spread to the arms, neck or jaw
* Feeling sick or sweaty as well as having central chest pain
* Feeling short of breath as well as having central chest pain.

Symptoms vary and some people may feel any of the following:

* A dull pain, ache, or 'heavy' feeling in the chest
* A mild discomfort in the chest that makes you feel generally unwell
* The pain in the chest can spread to the back or stomach
* A chest pain that feels like a bad episode of indigestion
* Feeling a bit light-headed or dizzy as well as having chest pain.

Make sure you visit this web page and know what all the symptoms are because it could just save your life.

There are any number of ways the funding of research into better treatment and prevention of heart disease can help.

• Improved heart surgery techniques


• Better understanding the genetics of heart disease


• Understanding how to reduce cholesterol levels


• Pacemaker development


• Understanding congenital heart disease in children


• Development of new improved tests to identify heart problems early etc. etc.

The list could go on and on, but not without proper funding. There is so much more that could be done to bring down the occurrence of death by heart attack and I am pretty sure if we can get enough people to take part in the survey we will see that nearly everyone knows someone who has had a heart problem.

This re-enforces the need to take action now and to ensure this worthwhile cause receives adequate funding, this can be done my making purchases on line from this lens for the benefit of the American Heart Association or by donating directly to the British Heart Foundation. Please take the time to do exactly that, you never know when you might next be affected either personally or through someone you know.