'I had been smoking for over 50 years and never thought it would happen to me. Iwas the right weight and ate well' HEART DISEASE KILLS 24 PEOPLE IN IRELAND EVERY DAY YET IT CAN BE PREVENTED.Byline: CLAIRE BRENNAN HEART disease kills one Irish person every hour - and in many cases these deaths can be prevented. And although the statistics are grim there is light at the end of an otherwise very dark tunnel. Nick van Vliet is a perfect example of how changing your lifestyle can stop the approach of Ireland's silent killer silent killer Silent lesion Medtalk Popular for a condition that may progress to very advanced stages before manifesting itself clinically . Almost three years ago Nick, a graphic designer from Dundrum in Dublin, suffered a massive coronary. He was not overweight but admits to being a chain-smoker with a sweet tooth. The dad-of-five told the Irish Daily Mirror: "I was always extremely healthy. "All my life I ate healthy food and did plenty of sports and exercise. However, I smoked. I could get through 20 a day. "I started when I was 13, as soon as I was old enough to steal cigarettes from my dad without him noticing. "All the guys in school did it, it was the grown up thing to do." Like most youngsters Nick did not think about the future. But at the age of 69 Nick's smoking almost claimed his life. He said: "The heart attack came completely out of the blue. I woke up in the middle of the night feeling ill. It was January 26, 2007. "I got out of bed and was violently sick. The only clue I had was a slight pain in my shoulder the day before. "But that night the pain started travelling down my arm. "I went downstairs and the first thing I did was light up a cigarette. I was sitting there smoking and thinking tomyself, 'I am having a heart attack'. "I woke up my wife Helen and we didn't even call an ambulance. We got dressed and climbed in her car and drove to St Vincent's Hospital. "She was in third gear the whole way. She was so worried that she couldn't take her hands off the steering wheel to change the gears. "I asked her to drive faster so I could get there before I die." Nick spent 10 days in hospital after doctors told him he had suffered a serious seizure. He added: "A doctor came in a day later and asked me did I know what happened. I said I thought I had a mild heart attack. He told me it wasn't mild and that I was very lucky. "He asked me a lot of questions about my lifestyle and said the only reason could be the smoking." Smoking, bad diet and high blood pressure are some of the major factors that contribute to heart disease. In the first three months of 2009, Central Statistics Office figures show 2,855 people lost their lives from cardiovascular disease Cardiovascular disease Disease that affects the heart and blood vessels. Mentioned in: Lipoproteins Test cardiovascular disease in Ireland. A massive 322 were under 65. It is estimated 10,000 men and women will die by the end of this year. Like Nick, the majority of these victims have no idea of the ticking timebomb that lies in their chest. He added: "I had been smoking for over 50 years and I never thought at any stage I would have a heart attack. "I was the right weight and I ate well. I believed heart attacks only happened to overweight people. "I was very surprised it had happened to me. "My wife was very worried - more worried than I was. My children took it in their stride and basically told me it was my own fault and I was a silly old man." His ordeal spurred on Nick's decision to quit smoking - one which probably saved his life. According to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. the Irish Heart Foundation smokers are two to three times more likely to suffer from cardiovascular disease than non-smokers. Ann Scanlon from the IHF IHF International Helsinki Federation IHF International Handball Federation IHF Integration Host Factor (DNA associated protein) IHF Indian Hockey Federation (New Delhi, India) told the Irish Daily Mirror: "There are a number of risk factors that we can do nothing about, like ageing or genetic links. "However, by giving up smoking people can greatly reduce their chances of having a heart attack or stroke." Although the decision to kick the habit isn't an easy one for most people, Nick didn't struggle. He said: "I have not smoked since. It actually did not take a lot of effort. I just started to think of myself as a non-smoker rather than someone who was trying to quit. "Lighters, ash-trays and cigarettes are irrelevant to me. I have treated it very lightly, rather than making a big deal and building it up. "I survived it and I wanted everything to be fine again." Following the attack Nick began to attend rehabilitation rehabilitation: see physical therapy. classes which involved exercises to strengthen the heart. Significantly 19 out of 20 of his classmates Classmates can refer to either:
Figures from the IHF show Ireland still has one of the highest rates of premature death Premature Death occurs when a living thing dies of a cause other than old age. A premature death can be the result of injury, illness, violence, suicide, poor nutrition (often stemming from low income), starvation, dehydration, or other factors. from heart disease in the EU at 22%. Ms Scanlon said: "Taking care of your body should start from a young age. Women are just as likely to suffer from heart disease as men. It is a unique disease in the sense it can be prevented. Everyone should be more vigilant." Nick's life has changed in a massive way but he remains upbeat and positive. He knows he is one of the lucky ones - a man who will get to see his five young grandchildren GRANDCHILDREN, domestic relations. The children of one's children. Sometimes these may claim bequests given in a will to children, though in general they can make no such claim. 6 Co. 16. grow up. If you are worried about your heart then contact the Irish Heart Foundation helpline helpline Noun a telephone line set aside for callers to contact an organization for help with a problem helpline n → teléfono de asistencia al público on 1890 432 787 or log on to www.irishheart.ie for more information. 10 healthy ways to have a longer life 1 STUB A small software routine placed into a program that provides a common function. Stubs are used for a variety of purposes. For example, a stub might be installed in a client machine, and a counterpart installed in a server, where both are required to resolve some protocol, remote procedure it out - smoking clogs arteries causing 11% of all strokes and 25% of deaths from coronary heart disease coronary heart disease: see coronary artery disease. coronary heart disease or ischemic heart disease Progressive reduction of blood supply to the heart muscle due to narrowing or blocking of a coronary artery (see atherosclerosis). . 2 WALK off the weight - Six out of 10 adults and one in four kids are overweight. A 30-minute walk every day can reduce the burden on the heart. 3 VARIETY is the spice of life - Eat plenty of fruit and vegetables and cut out foods full of salt and saturated fat saturated fat, any solid fat that is an ester of glycerol and a saturated fatty acid. The molecules of a saturated fat have only single bonds between carbon atoms; if double bonds are present in the fatty acid portion of the molecule, the fat is said to be . 4 SWITCH to fish - Oily fish Oily fish, oil-rich fish or pelagic fish are those fish which have oils throughout the fillet and in the belly cavity around the gut, rather than only in the liver like white fish. such as sardines, mackerel mackerel, common name for members of the family Scombridae, 60 species of open-sea fishes, including the albacore, bonito, and tuna. They are characterized by deeply forked tails that narrow greatly where they join the body; small finlets behind both the dorsal and , trout or salmon contain omega 3 fatty acids fatty acid, any of the organic carboxylic acids present in fats and oils as esters of glycerol. Molecular weights of fatty acids vary over a wide range. The carbon skeleton of any fatty acid is unbranched. Some fatty acids are saturated, i.e. , which help to lower blood cholesterol. 5 FORGET about dieting - Make small changes to the food you eat and get active. 6 DRINK less alcohol - Drinking large amounts or binge drinking binge drinking An early phase of chronic alcoholism, characterized by episodic 'flirtation' with the bottle by binges of drinking to the point of stupor, followed by periods of abstinence; BD is accompanied by alcoholic ketoacidosis–accelerated lipolysis and can increase blood pressure and may damage the liver and heart. 7 GET checked - Have your blood pressure and cholesterol and overall lifestyle checked by your family doctor. 8 GET plenty of sleep - Research shows that people who take naps during the day had 37% fewer fatal heart attacks. 9 LOSE the stress - Planning ahead is a good way to avoid stress. 10 EXAMINE your family tree - If there is a history of heart disease in your family speak to your GP about getting a check-up. CORONARY heart disease and stroke are the most common forms of cardiovascular disease. Combined they claim the lives of around 10,000 Irish people This is a list of famous Irish people. It covers
ONE in four stroke victims die, accounting for more deaths than breast, prostate and bowel cancer combined. Women are just as likely to suffer from heart disease as men. CVD CVD Cardiovascular disease, see there accounts for 36% of deaths each year. Around 10,000 people have a stroke every year. There are 30,000 stroke victims living with a disability but just one National Stroke Unit. CAPTION(S): LETHAL Smoking clogs arteries UNHEALTHY Fatty and salty food SECOND CHANCE Helen and Nick van Vliet from Dundrum, Co Dublin |
|
||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion