Mitsumasa Hirano writes:
1) Mr. O has some risk factors for
cardiovascular diseases (CVD). His first risk factor is hypertension. His
blood pressure indicates moderate to high hypertension, 165-105 mmHg. His
second risk factor is high LDL level in blood, the results of cholesterol
tests are not positive: LDL--173 mg/dl; HDL--26 mg/dl. His third risk factor
is being overweight. From causal observation it is clear that he is almost
20 kilos overweight. His fourth risk factor is smoking. Though he has cut
down his smoking, he still smokes half a pack of cigarettes a day. His
last risk factor is inactivity. He hardly gets out of the office to do
exercise. His only exercise is walking across the street from his apartment
to his office and back.
2) A heart attack does the most damage in the first 2 hours. The longer
you delay seeking treatment, the more damage your heart is likely to sustain.
Responding promptly to signs of a heart attack can dramatically increase
your chances of recovery. If your symptoms last more than 2 minutes, call
your local emergency telephone number. Do not delay getting medical treatment,
even if you are not sure you are having a heart attack. A delay can cause
permanent damage to your heart muscle or even death. Let the doctor determine
whether or not you are having a heart attack.
3) As acute treatment he should take the medicines that lower high blood
pressure. Two other classes of drugs used to treat high blood pressure
are the A.C.E. or angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors and the calcium
antagonists (calcium channel blockers). The A.C.E. inhibitors interfere
with the body's production of angiotensin, a chemical that causes the arteries
to constrict. The calcium antagonists can reduce the heart rate and relax
blood vessels.
4) In the long term he needs to change his life-style. He should stop smoking,
eat a low-fat diet, and take regular exercise. Overweight can be settled
by good diet and moderate exercise. He must not eat too many foods that
contain a lot of saturated fatty acid, such as meat, because they increase
LDL levels. On the other hand, since whole-grain foods, such as brown rice,
are effective for preventing CVD, I want him to eat whole-grain foods.
Furthermore, he shouldn't take anaerobic exercise but needs to take aerobic
exercise about three times a week. Aerobic exercise lowers LDL level and
blood pressure.
| Click the BACK button to return to the student index.|