Shinitsu Ryuu writes:
Patient Takahashi (T) who is a 39-year-old
male has a high possibility of developing heart disease in the future.
The reason is his lack of regular exercise, his heavy-smoking, and his
being overworked, all of which are major known risk factors for CHD.
Although Patient T is in this condition and exhibits many risk factors,
he does not recognize his condition or these factors.
I think I would help Patient T with advising him about the risk factors
at first. And I would suggest to him that he should do regular exercise
and decrease his amount of smoking. I think walking around every day is
good. Of course no-smoking is the best option. But he might be stressed
about it, and so decreasing the amount of smoking is O.K. to start. I think
I can help Patient T with knowing the risk factors and getting rid of his
pain according to a plan which I will detail below.
Because Patient T does not think his condition is very serious, I will
explain his condition using facts about his health. He has recently been
diagnosed "hypertensive"(170/100mm Hg); he frequently experiences
feelings of weakness and mild pain in the neck and upper chest areas; and
clinical analyses indicate early atherosclerosis.
In order to impress these facts on Patient T, I will refer to the problems
in smoking cigarettes. Smoking is like putting his blood vessels into a
time machine headed into the future. As people age, the walls of their
arteries gradually thicken. Research published in the December 1994 issue
of the AHA journal Circulation shows that cigarette smoking accelerates
this process by more than a decade. By adding the equivalent of 10 years
of aging to their arteries, smokers are increasing their risk of stroke
and heart attack.
In the short term, I will give him some medicine until he does not feel
chest pain. And I will tell him to exercise regularly and decrease his
smoking.
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