Ian Waterston is an executive working in corporate finance; he had his first heart attack at the age of 30 when he went for hill climbing during the weekend. He learned a precious lesson from the incident, don’t be dumb. Like him, many of us think that someone as young and fit as him is impossible to have a heart attack, and according to Ian, it is dumb. We heard many stories of friends and family members suffered from heart problems, in certain cases it involves sudden heart attacks which may lead to unexpected death. It may alert us for a while, however most of time, when it comes to managing our health, we prefer to take the passive role and let the nature to take it’s course.
Why should you manage your own health?
Most of us leave our health to the doctors. However, we only go to see doctors when we are sick. And that comes with a hefty price tag, its either expensive medical bill, or emotional stress; sometimes it even causes loss of days of productivity. However, if we are to manage our health actively, many diseases are preventable, for example - Cardiovascular disease or in lay man term - heart disease.
Cardiovascular (CVD) disease is the number one cause of death globally, whereby 1 in 4 deaths in government hospitals are attributed to either heart disease or strokes. To make it worse, it is a silent chronic disease which can take years to develop without any symptom at all. However, by managing the level of bad cholesterol in your body can greatly reduce the chance of getting heart disease. And you don’t even need a doctor to tell you how.
It’s all started with Cholesterol
Heart disease occurs when a substance called plaque builds up in the arteries that supply blood to the heart. Plaque is made up of cholesterol deposits, which can accumulate in the arteries. When this happens, the arteries can narrow over time. Plaque build-up can cause chest pain/ discomfort, because the heart muscle doesn't get enough blood. A heart attack occurs when plaque totally blocks an artery carrying blood to the heart. It also can happen if a plaque deposit breaks off and clots an artery. On the other hand, a stroke happens when blood flow to a part of the brain stops. When brain cells are not getting sufficient blood and oxygen, it will be damaged and lead to loss of brain function, and even death.
To lower bad cholesterol in your body only requires easy step such as be informed with what you eat every day. Food such as meats, poultry, shellfish, eggs, butter, cheese, and milk contain additional cholesterol, and this is on top of the cholesterol which is manufactured by our body. Hence, have more fibrous food and complex carbohydrate such as fruit, raw vegetables, brown rice, whole grain breads in your diet. The American Heart Association recommends that you eat at least 25 grams of dietary fiber every day2.
Knowing your DNA
However, there are also some factors which can lead to high cholesterol in your body but is not modifiable, such as hereditary. The amount of bad cholesterol in our body makes and how fast it is removed from body is determined partly by genes. If an individual inherited certain genetic mutations in those genes from his/her parents, there is a high chance that he/she is suffering from a familial disease called Hypercholesterolemia (A condition where high cholesterol is present in the blood). Today, there are many DNA test available which can ascertain whether an individual’s has inherited the genetic mutations which causes Familial Hypercholesterolemia from his/her parents. Using an advance biochip technology, Molecular Screening Services such as INFOHaem FH1536™ screens for genetic mutation from LDLR, ApoB (ApolipoproteinB) gene and PCSK9 gene. The test also involves clinical examination associates the individual’s lifestyle, family history and medical history to Familial Hypercholesterolemia. If the DNA test found to be positive, it’s important to inform your doctors immediately as you may require certain cholesterol lowering medication.
In summary, take care of high cholesterol as soon as possible and manage your own health actively. Not doing so will put you at a higher risk of suffering from heart disease.
1. http://collectivewizdom.com/MyHeartAttackAtAge30.html
2. http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=514
3. http://www.infovalley.net.my/~infovall/fh1536%E2%84%A2-test-takers
________________________________________________________________________
INFOVALLEY® Molecular Screening Services is registered under Ministry of Health’s Medical Device Bureau’s MeDVER programme (Registration number: A-000531). INFOHaem™ Molecular Screening was recognized by Frost and Sullivan’s Malaysian Excellence Award 2012, as best product Innovation. For more information, kindly refer to www.infovalley.net.my.
By Susan Ong, Product Portfolio Manager
No comments:
Post a Comment