I. Understanding what are cardiovascular risk factors
Cardiovascular diseases mainly include sudden death, coronary heart disease, hypertension, stroke, heart failure, atherosclerotic kidney disease, peripheral artery blockage, diabetes mellitus, etc. All these diseases are related to atherosclerotic plaque formation. The etiology of atherosclerosis is unknown, and some conditions that predispose to it are called risk factors. It is well known that atherosclerosis, as an age-related disease, usually has a high incidence at older ages, more men than women, and sometimes a family history, and these risk factors are usually unchangeable.
However, studies have found that there are other causes of atherosclerosis that can be changed or controlled, called risk factors that can be intervened, and the common ones are: hypertension, hyperlipidemia (high cholesterol and triglyceridemia), diabetes, smoking, lack of physical activity, irritable personality, etc. To prevent atherosclerosis must start with changing risk factors.
II. Why self-assessment is necessary
Cardiovascular disease has now become the main cause of death and disability in China, and family health expenditure has also become the main expenditure of the family economy; atherosclerotic disease is a progressive disease, usually no symptoms, once uncomfortable, often life-threatening or very serious condition; and cardiovascular disease is often related to unhealthy lifestyle, metabolic abnormalities, the discovery of the problem can be timely prevention and The problems can be prevented and corrected in time;
At the same time, clinical research has proven that the incidence of cardiovascular disease and mortality can be effectively reduced through a number of preventive measures; therefore, from the perspective of improving health, improving quality of life, and extending life expectancy, we need to estimate the likelihood of their own morbidity, so that early preventive measures can be taken.
Third, who especially need to self-assess the risk of cardiovascular disease.
If you have any of the following conditions, you should be evaluated immediately. Firstly, you have been diagnosed with cardiovascular disease, including hypertension, coronary artery disease (angina pectoris, myocardial infarction), heart failure, stroke, diabetes, etc. The second is a number of high-risk groups, including: middle-aged people, daily smokers; obese, especially with a large belly (abdominal obesity);
There are two or more risk factors such as high blood pressure and high cholesterol at the same time; family history of cardiovascular disease in the family, especially those whose parents and siblings had heart disease very early; those who have already developed cardiovascular system symptoms such as heart pain, chest tightness and shortness of breath.
What are the information that needs to be checked in the hospital before self-assessment?
1. Medical history information. Whether there are cardiovascular diseases in the past, whether there are cardiovascular diseases in the family, exercise, smoking, hobbies, educational status, etc.
2, physical examination information. Weight, blood pressure, heart rate, waist circumference and other indicators.
3.Laboratory examination data. Blood sugar, blood lipid level, liver and kidney function, urine protein and other indicators.
4.Electrocardiogram or exercise ECG data.
5, early onset coronary heart disease (male before 45 years old, female before 55 years old) or those with significant family history can be considered for high-sensitivity inflammatory response protein (CRP), homocysteine, fibrinogen and other laboratory indicators.
V. How to perform self-assessment and determine the results
Assessing the risk of cardiovascular disease can be considered as “scientific fortune telling”, which is based on the results of cardiovascular disease research over the past 100 years and calculated using scientific methods. In terms of the likelihood of fatal cardiovascular disease in the next 10 years, <5% is considered low risk, 5-9% is considered intermediate risk, and >10% is considered high risk, and this group of patients needs to be focused on and actively prevented.
According to the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) 2007 cardiovascular disease prevention guidelines, you can find out your risk of fatal cardiovascular disease in the next 10 years according to your age, gender, blood pressure, whether you smoke, and total blood cholesterol level. The data in the table are calculated by scientists around the world based on epidemiological data, with gender and smoking status at the top of the table, age in the middle, systolic blood pressure on the left, and blood cholesterol level at the bottom.
In Europe, according to the incidence of cardiovascular disease in each country, the table is divided into high-risk according to the table and low-risk countries, the low-risk countries include Belgium, France, Italy, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Bulgaria and other countries are high-risk. According to the current level of cardiovascular disease in China, Table 2 is recommended, and for young people under 40 years old, Table 3 is recommended.
According to your own situation and laboratory values, you can find the specific number in the corresponding table, which indicates the possibility of fatal cardiovascular disease (myocardial infarction, stroke, etc.) in the next 10 years; if you are in the red or yellow table, it means high risk; if it is green, it means low risk.
VI. What to do after self-assessment?
1.If you are low risk, please retain your current good lifestyle habits; if you are high risk, please seek immediate medical attention to intervene in risk factors and reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.
2.Healthy lifestyle includes not smoking, choosing healthy food, at least 30 minutes of physical activity every day, avoiding central obesity (so that body mass index BMI <25/m2,BMI = weight kg ÷ height m squared), blood pressure below 140/90mmHg, total blood cholesterol <5mmol/L (190mg/dl), blood low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL ) <3mmol/L (115mg/dl) and blood glucose <6mmol/L (110mg/dl).
3. For patients who have been diagnosed with cardiovascular disease or diabetes, the control of the above indicators needs to be more stringent in order to prevent the disease more effectively. These include: blood pressure below 130/80mmHg, blood total cholesterol <4.5mmol/L (175mg/dl), blood low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL) <2.5mmol/L (100mg/dl), and blood glucose <6mmol/L (110mg/dl).