Topics
Coronary heart disease occurs when your body’s major blood vessels that supply the heart struggle to send enough blood, oxygen, and nutrients to the heart muscle. This is caused by inflammation of the arteries.
The inflammatory process leads to concentration of substances such as fat, cholesterol deposits, and blood cells. These deposits form the plaque, which is a sticky substance that accumulates inside the arteries. This process is known as atherosclerosis.
Atherosclerosis will continue to cause more plaque build-up over time. This leads to the narrowing of the arteries, thus causing blood flow to be partially or totally blocked.
The onset of atherosclerosis can be caused by other chronic diseases such as diabetes and high blood pressure.
How does menopause increase heart disease risk in women?
In women, the loss of sex hormones, i.e., estrogen and progesterone following menopause causes the loss of protection against the formation of atherosclerosis.
Hence, women are more likely to be at risk of coronary heart disease, heart attack, and stroke after menopause, which generally occurs in women aged 45 to 55 years old.
What can I do to reduce the risk of developing heart diseases?
Heart disease is the leading cause of death in Malaysia. Therefore, it is important for both men and women to start adopting a healthy lifestyle to keep our heart healthy.
The following are several lifestyle changes that you can do to lower the risk of developing heart disease and to better control the symptoms.
- Maintain a healthy weight
- Eat a balanced, healthy diet:
- More fruits, vegetables, and fibre-rich food
- Less processed food and refined carbohydrates
- Low in trans fats, saturated fat, and cholesterol
- Reduce intake of salt and sugar
- Exercise or engage in physical activities regularly (at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise per week)
- Avoid or stop smoking
- Limit consumption of alcohol
- Get sufficient sleep
- Control your pre-existing medical conditions e.g., diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol
- Reduce and manage stress
How do I calculate my cardiovascular risk?
‘Framingham Risk Score’ calculator
The Framingham Risk Score helps to give an estimation of the 10 year-risk of manifesting clinical cardiovascular diseases such as Coronary Artery Diseases, Stroke, Peripheral Vascular Disease, Congestive Heart Failure, etc.
The ‘Framingham Risk Score’ calculator can calculate your cardiovascular risk in the next 10 years after you key in your age, gender, cholesterol levels, blood pressure readings, diabetes, and smoking status in the calculator. Try the ‘Framingham Risk Score’ risk calculator here.
Coronary Calcium Score
In certain cases, doctors may also use non-traditional techniques to interpret an individual’s cardiovascular risk.
A ‘Coronary Calcium Score’ heart scan is performed with a ‘CT 640 Slice’ scanner capable of producing clearer images while delivering precise and low radiation. This scan is useful for the doctor to detect the presence of calcification within the coronary arteries from the CT scan images.
Book an appointment at Pantai Hospitals
A dedicated and expert team of cardiologists at Pantai Hospitals is available for consultation to provide the best care and assistance to patients through heart health screening, diagnosis, and treatment. Get in touch with us to book an appointment with a cardiologist today.
Pantai Hospital Malaysia is accredited by the Malaysian Society for Quality in Health (MSQH) for its commitment to patient safety and service quality.
