Death Casts Shadow Over the Young

The death of Ashraf Sinclair, 40, from a heart attack on Tuesday (18/2/2020), again took the public by surprise. We have often heard the same news about young artists who have died from heart disease.

ANTARA FOTO/MUHAMAD IBNU CHAZAR

The wife of the Ashraf Daniel Mohammed Sinclair, Bunga Citra Lestari, pays her last respects to her husband during his funeral at the San Diego Hills Memorial Park, Karawang, West Java, on Tuesday (18/2/2020). The actor died because of illness early on Tuesday (18/2/2020) at the age of 40.

Thus far, degenerative illnesses involving the cardiovascular system (heart and blood vessels) like heart disease and stroke, as well as diabetes, have been generally associated with advanced age. However, the cardiovascular death of younger people who appear to be healthy, active and happy raises the question as to their causes and how to prevent them. Data from the World Health Organization (WHO) indicate that cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the number one cause of death in the world, with at least 17.9 million people dying from CVD in 2016.

Non-communicable diseases prevention and control director Cut Putri Arianie of the Health Ministry said in Jakarta on Tuesday that cases of non- communicable diseases, including heart disease, were seeing an increasing trend. “The most dominant risk factor is unhealthy lifestyles, such as an unbalanced diet, high intake of sugar, salt and fat, a lack of physical activity, and smoking,” she said.

Data from the 2018 Basic Health Research shows that 15 out of 1,000 people in Indonesia – or 2,784,064 people – have heart disease.

The most dominant risk factor is unhealthy lifestyles, such as an unbalanced diet, high intake of sugar, salt and fat, a lack of physical activity, and smoking.

According to cardiologist Luke Laffin of the Cleveland Clinic in the USA (clevelandclinic.org), several causes can be tied to the increase in heart attacks among young people, but the main cause is an increase in type 2 diabetes. This corresponds with the study by Ron Blankstein and his colleagues at Harvard Medical School. The study involved 2,097 people under the age of 50 treated at two major hospitals in the US, and concluded that diabetes affected one out of 5 people who experienced heart attacks.

This has been linked to changes in lifestyle and diet in recent years. Most people today spend their day behind desks, with insufficient time to move and exercise, consume fast foods and eat fewer vegetables and fruits so they become overweight. This is worsened by smoking and drinking alcohol.

KOMPAS/HENDRA A SETYAWAN

Cardiologists perform primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI) to unblock coronary arteries of a patient in the catheterization room at the Diagram Heart Hospital in Cinere, Depok, West Java, on Thursday (29/8/2019). The 2018 basic health survey notes that coronary heart disease is the leading cause of death after stroke and hypertension. Global Health Data Exchange data shows that ischemic heart disease, or a narrowing of the arteries in the heart, was the most common cause of death after stroke in the 2007-2017 period.

In order to prevent heart attacks, it is necessary to modify one’s lifestyle by allowing more time for exercise, consuming nutritious foods, quitting smoking, managing stress and maintaining normal blood pressure and cholesterol levels.

The US health guide recommends that people aged 20-39 without a history of heart disease in their family should examine have their cardiovascular health checked once every 4-6 years. People who come from families with a history of heart disease should immediately consult their doctor.

According to Cut, people aged 40 and above should have annual checkups.

Heart disorders frequently arise without early symptoms. Heart attacks occur when the large blood vessels (arteries) supplying the heart with blood and oxygen are blocked by cholesterol that has accumulated to form plaques in the arteries.

The symptoms of a heart attack include chest pain or discomfort, as well as pain or numbness that runs from the left shoulder to the arm, to the jaw or along the back. Most experience difficulty breathing, nausea, cold sweats, pallor, dizziness or fainting.

KOMPAS/YUNIADHI AGUNG

Volunteers of the Indonesian Cardiovascular Specialist Association (Perki) distribute brochures to raise public awareness about heart health at the Bank Indonesia traffic circle in Jakarta some time ago.

Heart rate

What should not be neglected in maintaining heart health is measuring maximum heart rate during exercise. This can be done with a heart rate monitor that is readily available. It can also be done by counting heartbeats per minute through the pulse in the wrist or neck.

In general, the heart rate during normal physical activity is 60-100 per minute. The maximum heart rate is calculated by subtracting your age from 220. So if you are 42 years old, your maximum heart rate is 178 per minute.

Once the maximum heart rate during exercise has been determined, the target heart rate can be calculated. This is the optimal heart rate during exercise, to avoid excessive stress on your heart. According to the American Heart Association, the target heart rate for moderate exercise is 50-70 percent of the maximum heart rate. For high-intensity training, the target is 70-85 percent of the maximum heart rate.

Maintaining your heart rate during exercise means that the heart is working within its capacity. Training too hard will just place excessive stress on the heart that may be fatal.