| | Chest Pain | | |
| | Apr 2nd - 30th 2012 | |
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Posted by tontonrokushi | My dad tells me my paternal grandma slept into her death. She was 50 years old and not fat at all. I accept that heart disease is real and can threaten any woman regardless of age and body shape. What is worrying however is the much bandied about assertions that women with chubby necks, chunky thighs and big hips are having more protection from heart disease. (If it were so, I am thinking it will be beneficial for older women who will tend to grow fatter and chunkier with ageing due to inability to run the treadmill.)
Still doctor, I find these assertions really imaginable. albeit consoling. While I am curious, it will also be helpful if you could clarify if these assertions have any truth for the general public. Thanks doctor. |
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Answered by Dr Stanley Chia (profile)
Consultant
Department of Cardiology and Director, Residency Programme,
National Heart Centre
| Thank you very much for raising this interesting observation. Many different risk factors contribute to the risk of heart disease.
These include age, gender, family history and other modifiable risk factors such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels, diabetes mellitus, smoking habit and increase body mass index (BMI).
Body mass index is measured as weight (in kg) divided by the square of height (in m2). It is well recognised that a high BMI, or obesity is associated with an increased risk of heart disease. There are some recent observations that the distribution of fat tissue may also confer different risk of heart disease. It appears that those with wider waist circumference (fat distributed around the abdomen) are associated with a higher risk than those with smaller waist circumference (fat distributed around the thighs and hips).
This may relate to the different way fat tissue behaves in our body. Hence there is the suggestion that women with an “apple-shape” figure will be at a higher risk than those with a “pear-shape” figure. However, this does not imply that women with a high BMI and with more fat distributed around their hips are at lower risk than those with a low BMI. |
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Posted by trevorfernando | Dear Doctor
Sometime I was rushed to hospital with severe chest pain. Having admitted to hospital various tests were performed including calcium deposits. All tets were negative. It was revealed the chest pains was due to high reflux. However since then I have changed my diet pattern. I take more vegetables and fish. Occasionally I eat lean pork meat. I do exercises but not frequent. I work quite late hours and have 5 to 6 hours of sleep a day. My total cholesterol is around 220, LDL is around 149 and HDL is around 58. When I take HYPOCOL 2 capsules in the morning, after a period of 3 months TOTAL Cholesterol comes down to 200 and the LDL to around 130. I take Zantac to control gastric as and when required. When I feel reflux I take NEXIUM which was described from NUH. But I am reluctant to take NEXIUM or Zanatc because it increases the Enzymes in my Liver for which I need to take Essentiale Forte.
With all these known factors how do I differentiate when I get a chest pain is it related to Heart or Reflux?
Thank you |
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Answered by Answered by Dr Stanley Chia (profile)
Consultant
Department of Cardiology and Director, Residency Programme,
National Heart Centre Singapore
| Thank you for your question.
Chest pain due to gastric reflux can sometimes be difficult to differentiate from chest pain due to angina (or coronary artery disease).
Chest pain due to reflux may feel like a burning or tight sensation associated with abdominal bloating that occurs in the stomach as well chest area. It is often associated with meals (or after meals) and can leave a sour taste in the mouth.
Chest pain due to heart disease usually has a squeezing, tight character (like a band around the chest) that may be associated with feeling out of breath and sweating. It may occur after exertion, working, exercise and may last for minutes.
If you cardiac stress test and calcium score is 0, then this will place you at a very low risk of heart attack in the short term. Nevertheless, it is sometimes still difficult to distinguish them. Hence if your doctor has assessed you fully, he/she will be able to advise you on your absolute risk of heart disease. I will also advise you to consult your doctor if you still experience recurrent symptoms.
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Posted by turquoise | |
Dear Dr Stanley,
I was at a hawker centre supposingly to have my lunch, after 2 bites, I could felt a very pressured, tightness to the extremeties that I couldn't breathe at all at the centre of chest. I broke out in sweats too & lasted 30 mins.
At A&E, had 2 runs of blood tests & ECG at different timing while under 8 hrs of observation. Was told the results were ok but the report indicated there's blood hamolysis & low in sodium.
Past 2 weeks, been unable to fall asleep & experiencing shortness of breath, difficulty breathing.
Is it a sudden heart attack & what is causing this? Appreciate your advise. Thank you. |
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Answered by
Dr Stanley Chia
Consultant
Department of Cardiology and Director, Residency Programme,
National Heart Centre Singapore
| Thank you very much for your question.
The symptoms that you described could be related to gastric or heart problems.
At the A&E, the doctors had performed blood tests to make sure that you did not have a heart attack that day. The implication of “haemolysis and low sodium” is less certain and can be related to a blood sampling issue rather than an actual medical problem.
We will need to review the actual results to be able to comment if it is significant. However, if you are still experiencing symptoms of breathlessness, I would advise you to consult your doctor early for further investigations to ensure that there is no underlying heart problem.
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