This man was under a great deal of stress from a major responsibility. He knew that these symptoms were from the magnitude of the task he was facing. After all, his cholesterol levels were decent with no medication, he was pretty active (and vowing to get in tip top shape) and had outrun the treadmill on a standard stress test a few years back. Anxiety can cause crazy-real symptoms.
But one day, he couldn’t get the pain to stop. To go or not to go, that was the question. Fortunately, he went. Another ER story of a life almost lost. Don’t ignore any symptoms! Don’t rationalize reasons why you might be short of breath. Get help, fast.
Three Heart Risk Factors You May Not Know
Check your GOOD (HDL) cholesterol
You can have a normal bad (LDL) cholesterol level and still be at risk for heart attack. If your good HDL is low, it can be a signal. An Indiana University study with nearly 7,000 participants found that a low HDL level (even with normal LDL) was the third strongest predictor of a heart event. This measure even out-predicted known heart disease and age as factors.
Calcium supplements
Did you know that there are several kinds of plaque that can block arteries? Many of us have lived believing the waxy, cholesterol-driven plaque is what builds up. That’s true, but there are other forms of blockage as well. Soft, fatty plaque, literally like fat found anywhere else on your body, is being studied to learn whether it is perhaps more dangerous than other plaques. Blockage can also be caused by fibrous tissue, similar to scar tissue (they don’t yet know why it forms), or yes, calcium build up within the arteries. This too, is the subject of ongoing studies. Current studies found that women (particularly in their 70s) who took at least 500 mg of calcium daily had a 30% higher heart attack risk than those who did not.
Relationship Issues
A study conducted at University College London showed that a negative relationship with your spouse can increase your heart attack risk by more than 30%! Work it out!
