On December 27, Ms. Zhou Feng, the sister of well-known actor Zhou Haimei, issued a statement. The statement explained the cause of Zhou Haimei's death: according to the surveillance video and the identification of the forensic department, it was comprehensively determined that Zhou Haimei died of a sudden heart attack.
Gao Xiaofei, deputy chief physician of the Department of Cardiovascular Medicine of Nanjing First Hospital, pointed out that the incidence of acute myocardial infarction has been increasing in recent years, and the incidence of postmenopausal women who have lost their estrogen protection is easy to be ignored. He reminded that many people think that myocardial infarction is sudden, but in fact, there are still signs, and it is possible to save life by identifying the "signal" in time.
Photo source: Visual China
Acute myocardial infarction is mostly associated with coronary artery disease
Sudden death occurs when a patient who is normally healthy or appears to be healthy dies suddenly and unexpectedly due to a natural disease in a short period of time. "Sudden death" is not a disease, but a manifestation of various diseases. It is understood that sudden death is often caused by problems with the most critical organs that sustain life, such as the heart, brain, and lungs. Among them, like Zhou Haimei, she died suddenly due to heart disease, and she has "taken away" many people over the years, including many celebrities.
Heart disease refers to a group of diseases that affect the normal operation of the heart, including myocardial infarction, coronary heart disease, arrhythmia, etc. A sudden heart attack can be life-threatening if left untreated.
Director Gao Xiaofei introduced that the most concerned acute myocardial infarction refers to the severe and long-lasting ischemia of the corresponding myocardium on the basis of coronary artery lesions, resulting in myocardial necrosis due to the sharp reduction or interruption of coronary artery blood supply. This also means that the majority of heart accidents are related to coronary heart disease. In the past, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases were considered to be a "geriatric disease", which was common in the elderly. However, Director Gao Xiaofei pointed out that in recent years, premature coronary heart disease has become more and more common. The gradual improvement of living standards has invisibly made heart disease a "disease of wealth". Factors such as changes in dietary Xi, more fat intake, lack of physical activity, high stress, and earlier and earlier onset of "three high" diseases have made more and more people with heart disease recruit more and younger.
"In the past, it was generally thought that coronary heart disease was more friendly to young women before menopause, and the incidence was higher in men. But in fact, after menopause, women lack the protection of estrogen and will also begin to get coronary heart disease. Experts point out that especially if other high-risk factors are superimposed, it will accelerate the occurrence of heart diseases such as coronary heart disease and atherosclerosis, but women's heart health is often easily neglected.
Is it okay to rest for chest discomfort?
Don't take these "signals" seriously
If we find out the symptoms associated with sudden death and understand the meaning behind these warning signs, we can prescribe the right medicine and race against time to grab "life". Once the myocardium is infarcted, the blood supply function will be stagnant, and chest pain and chest discomfort are the first and most prominent symptoms of acute myocardial infarction.
"Sometimes you feel uncomfortable for a few minutes for a short time, maybe you can just take a break, or because you are busy with work or other things, you feel that going to the hospital is too troublesome, and it is easy to take it seriously, but in fact, this is the time when you need to pay the most attention. According to Director Gao Xiaofei, especially for people with a family history of heart disease, those who have underlying diseases such as "three highs" in the past, as well as people who usually stay up late and have irregular schedules, even short-term heart discomfort is a key "early warning signal", and timely identification can seize the opportunity as soon as possible.
In critical situations, severe chest pain may also cause the patient to vomit and blood pressure to a persistent decrease, causing shock. Specifically, this type of chest pain is manifested in the retrosternal area up to the pharynx or in the precordial area, radiating to the left shoulder and arm, and often lasts more than 30 minutes or even more than 10 hours. Such chest pain is usually not relieved by rest and nitroglycerin, and it is necessary to go to the hospital immediately.
It is worth mentioning that, on the other hand, there are also some "atypical symptoms" myocardial infarction that cannot be ignored. For young and middle-aged men, or the elderly with underlying diseases with dysesthesia at the end of the nerves, there may also be no typical chest pain, only chest tightness, or shortness of breath after activity, easy fatigue and other symptoms, at this time should also be vigilant, seek medical examination in time, and do not turn a blind eye.
Routine physical exams do not rule out the risk of heart disease
Cardiology is recommended for high-risk groups
A check-up is a great way to move the prevention of all kinds of health problems forward. Nowadays, most people have routine check-ups every year or every other year. Some people don't include cardiac check-ups at all in their check-up packages, and some people don't care if they see that the ECG results are normal, thinking that they don't have heart disease. In this regard, Director Gao Xiaofei pointed out that electrocardiogram and other examinations in routine physical examination cannot be used as a basis for "excluding the risk of heart disease", especially for high-risk groups, only after the cardiology specialist visit, under the advice of the doctor, can be used as the "gold standard" for judgment.
In addition to the "three highs" people with hypertension, high blood sugar and high blood lipids, Director Gao Xiaofei reminded that people with abdominal obesity are also high-risk groups for heart disease, and regular cardiac screening is necessary. "Some people are actually not fat, but there is a little meat on the stomach, this kind of abdominal obesity, large abdominal circumference, including these people who usually lack physical exercise, to a certain age, for example, men over 50 years old, women over 60 years old, even if there are no symptoms of chest pain, it is recommended to have some consultation in a cardiologist. ”
Experts remind that in addition to regular check-ups to detect heart problems early, control the risk factors caused by underlying diseases such as "three highs" and obesity, and to reduce the risk of disease, it is also necessary to start by improving Xi habits of life. "Quit smoking, limit alcohol, exercise moderately, eat a balanced diet, and avoid overexertion. At the same time, it is also necessary to learn to regulate emotions and avoid excessive tension and anxiety. ”
Is "self-CPR" reliable?
The reporter noticed that with the news of sudden death from various heart diseases in recent years, some "life-saving" methods have also been mentioned from time to time. For example, some self-media claim that mastering the critical moment of "self-CPR" can save their lives. Self-CPR is a procedure in which the patient breathes deeply to breathe oxygen into the lungs and coughs to squeeze the heart to promote blood circulation and restore a normal pulse. So does this really work?
"Unreliable, without any evidence that it works. In an interview with reporters, Director Gao Xiaofei emphasized that if you suspect that you have the possibility of myocardial infarction, correct self-help measures can improve the survival rate. The first is "if you have chest pain, you should call 120 as soon as possible", and the second is "for the treatment of myocardial infarction, strive for the golden 120 minutes".
Photo source: Visual China
At the same time, while waiting for the 120 ambulance, experts recommend that the patient himself must control his emotions and reduce his activities. Patients should immediately lie in bed or lie flat on the spot to avoid increased cardiac oxygen consumption caused by activity, emotional stress, etc. Slow and deep breathing can help lower the heart rate, but the deep breathing speed should not be too fast, otherwise it will cause hyperventilation, usually once every 5 seconds. If possible, oxygen can also help.
For the use of drugs, experts remind that it is best to measure blood pressure when using nitroglycerin tablets and other drugs in an emergency. After confirming that the blood pressure is not low, take nitroglycerin again to prevent improper medication from aggravating the condition. Especially when the patient's self-measured pulse is weak, dizzy, and sweating, if there is no condition to measure blood pressure, do not blindly take nitroglycerin. For aspirin drugs, it is necessary to make sure that if the blood pressure is too high, taking high-dose aspirin increases the risk of intracerebral hemorrhage.
Experts suggest that for people who live alone, they can usually put the medical records, medical insurance cards (books) and other information in a convenient place, and it is best to have a history of allergies and daily medication, blood pressure, blood sugar and other records in the medical records, and if possible, prepare blood pressure monitors, oxygen concentrators, nitroglycerin and other first-aid drugs in case of emergency.
Yangtze Evening News/Purple Cow News reporter Lu Yanlin
Proofreading by Sheng Yuanyuan