Are You at Risk of Coronary Artery Disease?
12 January 2022
Although some risk factors cannot be changed such as age, gender and family history, there are modifiable risk factors which you can take charge of and avoid becoming a statistic.
Risk Factors of Coronary Artery Disease
Understanding health risks is crucial to helping you find ways to avoid health problems.
Dr Mohd Kamal said, adding that making lifestyle changes such as healthy eating, regular exercise and stop smoking can reduce your risk of heart disease.
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DIABETESYou are twice as likely to have heart disease if you have diabetes than someone who doesn’t. However, 1 in 5 adults in Malaysia have diabetes based on statistics from the National Health and Morbidity Survey 2019. That is 20% of the population and the survey also found that 8.9% of the respondents didn’t know they have diabetes. This is because Malaysians do not go for health screenings. |
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OBESITYMalaysia has the highest prevalence of obesity among adults in South East Asia. More than half of our population are overweight or obese, and 30% of our children aged 5 to 17 years are overweight. Obesity increases the risk of health conditions such as cardiovascular disease and cancer compared with normal-weight individuals. |
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HYPERLIPIDAEMIACholesterol is a type of fat that circulates in your blood and having too much cholesterol in your bloodstream will result in cholesterol deposits in the walls of your arteries, causing heart disease. A diet high in saturated fat and trans fat increases your cholesterol levels. Eight million adults in Malaysia have high cholesterol however 1 in 4 persons are not aware that they have this condition. |
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LACK OF EXERCISEPhysical inactivity is the fourth leading risk factor for global mortality. Improving your levels of physical activity can be as simple as climbing stairs or taking short walks. The recommended physical activity is at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity or 75 minutes of high-intensity physical activity throughout the week, or an equivalent combination of both. |
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HYPERTENSIONUntreated high blood pressure can lead to serious consequences such as heart attacks, strokes and other cardiovascular diseases. Any blood pressure value above 140/90 mmHg is considered high and among those who have hypertension, 90% are on medication but only 45% have their blood pressure under control. It is one thing to be diagnosed but another to be able to manage it. |
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SMOKINGNicotine in cigarettes reduces the amount of oxygen your heart gets, speeds up your heart rate, makes blood clots more likely, and harms your blood vessels. Cigarette smoke is also bad for people around you as second-hand smoke can cause heart disease |
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DIABETES You are twice as likely to have heart disease if you have diabetes than someone who doesn’t. However, 1 in 5 adults in Malaysia have diabetes based on statistics from the National Health and Morbidity Survey 2019. That is 20% of the population and the survey also found that 8.9% of the respondents didn’t know they have diabetes. This is because Malaysians do not go for health screenings.
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OBESITY Malaysia has the highest prevalence of obesity among adults in South East Asia. More than half of our population are overweight or obese, and 30% of our children aged 5 to 17 years are overweight. Obesity increases the risk of health conditions such as cardiovascular disease and cancer compared with normal-weight individuals.
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HYPERLIPIDAEMIA
Cholesterol is a type of fat that circulates in your blood and having too much cholesterol in your bloodstream will result in cholesterol deposits in the walls of your arteries, causing heart disease. A diet high in saturated fat and trans fat increases your cholesterol levels. Eight million adults in Malaysia have high cholesterol however 1 in 4 persons are not aware that they have this condition.
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LACK OF EXERCISE
Physical inactivity is the fourth leading risk factor for global mortality. Improving your levels of physical activity can be as simple as climbing stairs or taking short walks. The recommended physical activity is at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity or 75 minutes of high-intensity physical activity throughout the week, or an equivalent combination of both.
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HYPERTENSION
Untreated high blood pressure can lead to serious consequences such as heart attacks, strokes and other cardiovascular diseases. Any blood pressure value above 140/90 mmHg is considered high and among those who have hypertension, 90% are on medication but only 45% have their blood pressure under control. It is one thing to be diagnosed but another to be able to manage it.
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SMOKING
Nicotine in cigarettes reduces the amount of oxygen your heart gets, speeds up your heart rate, makes blood clots more likely, and harms your blood vessels. Cigarette smoke is also bad for people around you as second-hand smoke can cause heart disease.
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Dato’ Dr Yap Yee Guan
Consultant Interventional Cardiologist
We are seeing more incidence of sudden cardiac arrest in the young and among those who are perceived to be fit and athletic. Dato’ Dr Yap said sudden cardiac arrest in people below the age of 40 is considered young and the cause is quite different from someone above 40.
Dato’ Dr Yap adds, “For someone below the age of 40, we would think about inherited cardiac conditions while we would think of coronary disease for someone above the age of 40.”
Sudden cardiac arrest doesn’t often present with specific symptoms. Most individuals experience non-specific symptoms like chest pain, palpitations and dizziness but some symptoms are quite telling like seizures and epilepsy.
"When the latter symptoms are present it may be too late so I always encourage individuals to go for regular medical check-ups and seek medical attention if they have a family history of sudden death."
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This was adapted from BFM Health & Living Interview. Listen to the full podcast here.
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Denmark midfielder, Christian Eriksen, collapsed during his country’s match against Finland at Euro 2020. His heart had stopped briefly and he was saved by the quick action by the medic team in performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and resuscitating him with a defibrillator. The 29-years-old had suffered a cardiac arrest and he is set to receive an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) which can prevent fatal cardiac arrests. This was adapted from BFM Health & Living Interview. Listen to the full podcast here.
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