34 THE QUEENS COURIER • WELLNESS • APRIL 19, 2018 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
wellness
5 things your doctor may not have told you about heart disease
Every day your heart beats an estimated
100,000 times to move 2,000 gallons of
blood through your body. Th at equates to
more than 2.5 billion beats in your lifetime!
It’s no surprise heart health is a priority
for many people, especially considering
that heart disease is so common.
One in four deaths in the United States
is caused by heart disease. More than
610,000 people die of heart disease in
the U.S. every year, making it the leading
cause of death for both men and
women, according to the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention.
You know you need to eat a nutritious
diet, exercise and avoid smoking.
However, there’s a lot more you need to
know to protect yourself and your family.
Consider these fi ve surprising things
your doctor may not have told you about
heart disease.
Heart disease can be caused
by a genetic disorder
You may never heard of familial hypercholesterolemia
(FH), a common, but
inherited genetic disorder that causes
heart disease. FH aff ects approximately
one in 250 people worldwide, but currently
90 percent of people born with
this genetic condition are not diagnosed.
Individuals with FH have a high amount
of low density lipoprotein (LDL) or “bad”
cholesterol in their blood from birth.
Th is lifelong burden of cholesterol is a
major reason why FH leads to very early
and severe heart disease. Th e good news
is that FH is manageable if detected and
treated early in life. If high cholesterol and
early heart disease runs in your family,
learn more at thefh foundation.org.
Many heart attacks occur
outside the hospital
About 47 percent of sudden cardiac
deaths occur outside a hospital, according
to the CDC. Th is suggests that many
people with heart disease don’t recognize
or act on early warning signs.
Heart attacks have several
major warning signs
and symptoms:
Chest pain or discomfort.Upper body
pain or discomfort in the arms, back,
neck, jaw or upper stomach.Shortness of
breath.Nausea, lightheadedness or cold
sweats.Know the signs. Trust yourself. If
you have any of these symptoms or sense
something is just not right, call 911.
Heart disease aff ects
young people
Many people think heart disease occurs
in old age, but it can aff ect people of all
ages. Even if you or your family members
are 30 years old or younger, you could be
aff ected, especially if you have risk factors
like high cholesterol or a family history of
heart disease. Keep in mind, each child
with a family member with FH has a 50
percent chance of inheriting the disorder,
which is present since birth. Untreated
individuals with FH have up to a 20 times
increased lifetime risk of early heart disease,
yet 90 percent of people with FH
are undiagnosed, according to the FH
Foundation.
Children (even infants) can
have high cholesterol
Many adults are regularly screened for
high cholesterol, but it’s not as common
for children to be screened, although the
American Academy of Pediatrics recommends
that all children between the ages
of 9 to 11 be screened for high cholesterol.
Th ese guidelines also recommend screening
for FH as early as age 2 years if there is
a family history of high cholesterol, early
heart disease or known FH. Talk to your
children’s doctor about screening. FH is
characterized by an LDL-C level of over
190 mg/dL in adults, or over 160 mg/dL
in children. FH may also be confi rmed
with a genetic test, although this is not
necessary for diagnosis.
You can maintain a healthy
heart at any age
Being diagnosed with high cholesterol,
heart disease or even FH is not a death
sentence. Every person’s health considerations
are unique, but by working with
your doctor, you can come up with a plan
to help manage your health and maintain
the strongest heart possible. Th is
could include lifestyle changes and medications
to manage the LDL cholesterol
level in the blood. Th e key is to keep asking
questions, learn about your specifi c
health needs and stay dedicated to your
heart health plan.
Courtesy BPT
Embarking on a new adventure: Life with a rare lung disease
Carolyn Rios and her husband Rick
have adventured far and wide together.
From their post-college move to the
Alaskan wilderness to 20 years of humanitarian
work in Russia, this couple of
more than 50 years has shared experiences
that have far exceeded their imaginations.
Decades of adventure together - including
a forced landing in their bush plane
when its engine failed over a mountain
range - have helped Carolyn and
Rick learn to face and eff ectively manage
unexpected challenges. But even as the
two have come to expect the unexpected,
nothing could have prepared the couple
for Carolyn’s diagnosis at age 69 with the
rare lung disease idiopathic pulmonary
fi brosis, or IPF, in 2015.
“All of my emergency training could
not equip me for the day Carolyn was
diagnosed,” said Rick. “My initial thought
was, ‘What do I do now? Where’s the
emergency plan? How do we land this
plane?’”
IPF causes permanent scarring of the
lungs. It aff ects up to 132,000 Americans
and yields about 50,000 new cases every
year. A proper diagnosis for IPF patients
oft en takes years because its symptoms,
including breathlessness and a dry persistent
cough, are similar to - and easily
confused with - other more common
and recognizable lung diseases, such as
chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder
(COPD) or asthma.
Aft er Carolyn’s diagnosis, she experienced
a period of deep concern for taking
the next best steps - spiritually, emotionally
and medically. Praying brought
her comfort and clarity. Sharing the news
with their two sons, family members and
close friends brought support and companionship.
Th e medical information
seemed so bleak, yet her energy to pursue
the next best steps remained. Th ankfully,
she and Rick were able to identify a pulmonologist
who educated the two on
Ofev® (nintedanib), a treatment option
that could help slow the progression of
the disease.
Armed with information about IPF and
potential treatment options, Carolyn and
Rick started thinking about IPF as their
next adventure and charted their course.
Carolyn began taking Ofev®, and Rick
became her helper, assisting her to map
out her daily regimen, track her medications
and doctor appointments and follow
a precise exercise and nutrition plan.
Today, Carolyn’s regular checkups
have indicated only a slight drop in lung
function. She experiences queasiness due
to the medication but works with her
doctors - her “adventure guides” - to
manage this by eating certain foods prior
to taking the medication.
“Life leads us on many adventures.
Some adventures we plan, others are
unexpected, and others challenge us
more than we expect! But regardless,
every adventure teaches us something
if we’re willing to learn,” said Carolyn.
“Experiencing IPF is another one of life’s
adventures for me and accepting the
challenges that come with it brings me
to a deeper understanding of the true
essence of my life. Each day still has
opportunities to love well - with or without
IPF.”
Carolyn and Rick are still able to travel
together and most recently planned fi ve
trips for their 50th wedding anniversary -
one trip to celebrate each decade of their
adventure-packed marriage. And while
their new “adventure” with IPF is ongoing,
they are determined to focus instead
on their time together and with their sons
and grandchildren.
To learn more about Ofev® visit www.
Ofev.com.
Courtesy BPT
/www.Ofev.com
/www.Ofev.com
