Around 32,000 people die every year in Austria from heart attacks, cardiac insufficiency or strokes. Cardiovascular diseases are still the most common cause of death – even though 90 percent of these diseases might be avoided through lifestyle changes.
„The patient comes to offend“
Hardening of the arteries, which ultimately lead to a heart attack, heart failure and cardiac insufficiency are the most common clinical pictures, said Sabine Perl, cardiologist at the LKH Graz. You can see a significant increase in patients who would come to the clinic with an acute heart attack.
“We often see in the clinic that patients come in sicker, come later. With regular check-ups, these cardiovascular diseases can be clarified to a large extent in advance, or the risk factors for them can be clarified and treated in advance. And I do have the feeling that it has fallen behind a bit in recent years,” says Perl.
Strengthen endurance, pay attention to nutrition
Apart from genetic risk factors that you have to keep in mind, there are many other areas in which you can minimize the risk of cardiovascular disease through your own actions, says Perl: “To prevent cardiovascular disease, it is very important to to move regularly. We’re talking regarding an endurance movement. Then, of course, we have the vast area of nutrition. Cholesterol and blood fats are a risk factor for our heart vessels. And what is also increasingly an issue and is also a huge issue among young people is the sugary drinks and sugary foods.”
awareness raising among young people
One also notices that the patients are getting younger and younger, according to the doctor: “When I started at the clinic 20 years ago, a 40-year-old patient was a rarity, so half the clinic came together. And now, unfortunately, it has to be said that 35-year-olds with heart attacks are also the order of the day.” Therefore, according to the cardiologist, one has to start raising awareness among young people.
