The importance of cardiovascular prevention
Cardiovascular prevention can be done by keeping the so-called risk factors under control. Risk factors are a set of conditions that significantly increase the possibility of suffering a heart attack. We can intervene on some cardiovascular risk factors but not on all, for this reason we are talking about modifiable and non-modifiable risk factors.The most important non-modifiable risk factors are:
- age
- being a male
- belonging to non-Caucasian race
- being familiar with cardiovascular disease (in particular when a first degree family member has been affected by cardiovascular disease at a relatively young age – under 55 for men and under 65 for women)
How to intervene on modifiable risk factors
There are also a number of factors that increase cardiovascular risk and on which we can intervene. With regard to modifiable risk factors, we can take the drugs that the doctor recommends and adopt behaviors that reduce the risk itself.
The modifiable risk factors are:
- arterial hypertension
- the smoke
- obesity
- a sedentary lifestyle
- diabetes mellitus
Arterial hypertension
If your maximum blood pressure exceeds 140 mmHg or the minimum exceeds 90 mmHg you are hypertensive. High blood pressure is one of the most important cardiovascular risk factors. It is called the silent killer because we often have no symptoms. This is why it is important to have your blood pressure measured by a doctor at least once a year.
A correct diet, especially with little salt, and physical activity can help lower blood pressure, but in most cases, drug therapy is required.
Sedentary lifestyle
A sedentary lifestyle is another enemy of the heart but we can intervene by changing our behavior. Exercising is to train our cardio-respiratory system by making the heart (which is a pump) work at its best and making sure that it works well together with the lungs. This training has an important preventive role, because it prevents heart disease from developing.
The most suitable physical activities are for example, walking, swimming, cycling and should be done for at least 30-45 minutes at least 3 times a week.
Diabetes mellitus
High blood sugar is a high concentration of glucose in the blood and is typical of diabetes mellitus, one of the most damaging risk factors for the arteries. In this case it is also very important to reduce the cardiovascular risk to be followed by a diabetologist, a specialist in the treatment of diabetes.
Smoking and obesity
Both smoking cessation and weight reduction are key to reducing cardiovascular risk. In both cases it is also possible to count on medical support: in the first case, we can get help from a smoking cessation aid center, in the second from a dietetics center.