It is Possible to Reduce Heart Attack Deaths by Half
Heart diseases are among the top causes of death in Turkey, as well as all over the world.
Heart diseases are among the top causes of death in Turkey, as well as all over the world. According to TUIK data, the number of men who lost their lives in 2014 due to circulatory system diseases, including various heart diseases and cerebrovascular diseases, is 74 thousand 295. Although the incidence of heart diseases increases day by day due to factors such as stressful life, nutrition and living habits, modern medicine is used for early diagnosis of diseases. There are also important developments taking place. The SHAPE method, incorporated by Anadolu Health Center, determines the factors that increase the risk of heart diseases and ensures that necessary precautions are taken. Stating that the first symptom of coronary artery disease in 50 percent of adults is a heart attack, Anadolu Health Center Cardiology experts say, “With SHAPE, it is aimed to detect individuals at risk of having a heart attack before they have a heart attack, take the necessary precautions and reduce the chances of having a heart attack as much as possible.” If the risk of heart attack can be detected with SHAPE and the responsible risk factors can be corrected appropriately, it is possible to reduce heart attack deaths by half.
What is SHAPE?
SHAPE is an acronym consisting of the words Society for Heart Attack Prevention and Eradication, and refers to both the scientific society in question and the heart attack risk determination algorithm pioneered by this association, and the people who have received certification in heart attack risk determination based on this algorithm. indicates centers.
What are the benefits to patients?
As a result of determining the risk of heart attack with the SHAPE method, the factors that create the risk of heart attack are determined and precautions are taken against them, and this risk is reduced and people who actually have coronary heart disease and are not aware of it are identified and the necessary treatment is provided.
What tests/procedures are performed in the shape scanning method?
In the SHAPE screening method, preliminary heart attack risk screening is performed with the FRAMINGHAM algorithm. During this screening, the patient’s age and gender, total cholesterol and HDL values, systolic blood pressure, whether he or she uses hypertension treatment, whether he smokes, whether he has diabetes and whether he has a known vascular disease are questioned. If moderate or high risk is detected here, “quantitative coronary calcium scoring” is performed with multi-slice computed tomography.
How can the risk of “heart attack” be determined with the SHAPE scanning method?
There is no calcium accumulation in the coronary vessels of a normal healthy person, that is, the calcium score is “0”. The presence of calcium in the coronary vessels indicates the presence of coronary atherosclerosis (arteriosclerosis) to the extent that there is a possibility of a heart attack, and the greater the amount of calcium accumulation in these vessels, the greater the risk of heart attack.
What is the goal of the SHAPE advanced heart screening program?
The goal of the SHAPE advanced screening program is to detect individuals at risk of having a heart attack before they have a heart attack, take the necessary precautions, and treat these individuals as needed to reduce their chances of having a heart attack as much as possible.
Results of the new program focusing on early diagnosis of coronary artery diseases that lead to heart attack?
With the implementation of this program, it is understood that 30-40 out of every 100 people who think they are healthy have a risk that requires precautions, and 5-10 have serious coronary heart disease that requires treatment. The purpose of the program is to identify these people.
How much does the risk of heart attack decrease for people who control themselves with SHAPE?
In people with a high risk of having a heart attack, taking the necessary precautions can reduce the risk of heart attack by nearly half, and the higher the risk, the greater the benefit.
Can SHAPE reduce deaths from heart attacks?
If the risk of heart attack can be determined by the SHAPE method and the responsible risk factors can be corrected appropriately, it is possible to reduce heart attack deaths by nearly half.
What should the patient do if there is a risk of heart attack in a person who is checked with SHAPE? What can a person do to continue his life without having a heart attack? Are there any benefits to home tests?
Heart disease is a condition that requires immediate hospitalization in all cases and cannot be treated at home. If such a situation occurs, the safest way is to call an ambulance rather than trying to go to the hospital on your own.
Does SHAPE have a margin of error? Does it provide 100% reliable data?
SHAPE is a risk determination algorithm and, like all risk determination algorithms, it has a certain margin of error. However, in the light of current literature findings, the method that most closely determines the risk of heart attack is the SHAPE algorithm.
Can a person who undergoes SHAPE and turns out not to be at risk of having a heart attack have a heart attack?
Of course, this possibility exists, but it is very low.
Which vascular imaging tests are used in the program?
In the program, coronary calcium scoring is performed only with multi-slice computed tomography, without the need to use opaque material. The procedure takes approximately five minutes in total, is completely painless, no medication is used, and the x-ray dose applied is only half of a standard lung x-ray.
What are the facts to know about the development of heart attack?
Heart attack is the leading cause of death worldwide. Approximately 1/3 of all people die due to heart attack. A significant portion of people who have had a heart attack and survived are unable to return to their normal lives afterwards, and have problems with their heart, brain, kidneys, etc. He has to deal with many problems related to his other organs. Not to mention the material and moral burdens created by these problems. Therefore, it is of great importance to prevent a heart attack before it occurs.
What is arteriosclerosis?
Arteriosclerosis, or atherosclerosis as it is scientifically known, are changes characterized by the accumulation of fat and inflammation, called plaque, in the vascular wall. These changes start from birth and usually show their first symptoms after the age of 40. As a result of these changes, which develop extremely slowly, narrowing of the vessel occurs. In some stages of this narrowing, usually when the narrowing is not very significant, the protective shell covering the fat/inflammation accumulation in the plaque cracks and the clot formed on this crack suddenly blocks the vein. If this occurs in the coronary vessels feeding the heart, it causes a heart attack, and if it occurs in the vessels feeding the brain, it causes a stroke.
What is the calcium score value?
Inflammation plays an important role in atherosclerosis plaques. As a result of this inflammation, lime (calcium) accumulates in the plaques. Excessive calcium accumulation indicates the intensity of inflammation within the veins, thus increasing the risk of heart attack. The calcium score value is obtained by measuring the density of this lime accumulation.
Why should imaging be done?
Measuring the amount of calcium in the vessel is possible with multislice CT. This imaging is therefore done with multislice CT. No medication or substance is used during this procedure, and the X-ray dose is even lower than that of a lung x-ray.
Who bears the risk of heart attack?
The risk of heart attack increases after the age of 40 in men and after the age of 50 in women. The risk of heart attack is higher in those who have diabetes, smokers, women who use birth control pills, those with high blood lipids-cholesterol, or another vascular disease.
Do cardiovascular diseases affect more women than men? Reasons?
Cardiovascular diseases affect both men and women at similar rates. However, it usually begins after menopause in women. There are two important factors that increase the risk of heart attack in women before menopause. These factors are smoking and birth control pills. The main reason why it is thought that cardiovascular diseases are less common in women is that complaints related to cardiovascular disease occur prominently in men, whereas these complaints are atypical in women.
How can a reliable scan be performed?
In order to reveal the risk of heart attack in the most reliable way, it is sufficient to perform coronary calcium scoring with information about the patient (age, gender, height, weight, whether he is diabetic, medications used, heart diseases in his family, etc.) and some laboratory tests.
Is it a test performed only at Anadolu Health Center?
In fact, although there are many centers in our country where coronary calcium scoring can be performed, the only center that provides risk determination services as part of the SHAPE program is Anadolu Health Center.
Is there a personalized treatment program at SHAPE?
SHAPE does not include a treatment program. After the risk determination is made in accordance with the SHAPE program, the cardiologist evaluates the result and plans a personalized prevention and treatment program and shares it with the patient.
