A Healthy Lifestyle Makes Your Heart Healthier
Sponsored by Turó Park Clinics.
The heart is one of the most important organs responsible for sustaining life, providing the transport system of blood, nutrients and the foundation of one’s immune system. So it’s essential to keep your heart healthy to enjoy a symptom-free, long and active life!
We consulted Dr. Jordi Mercé, an experienced cardiologist at Turó Park Clinics, to find out the best ways to maintain a healthy heart, specifically in regard to long COVID, and what to do in the case of the onset of symptoms.
A Heart Healthy Lifestyle
The fact that cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death globally highlights the importance of adopting a focus on maintaining good heart health.
There are many ways that you can decrease your risk to cardiovascular diseases, the majority of which can be prevented with simple lifestyle changes and regular check-ups. Here is a list of a few:
- Stop smoking—this is the single best thing you can do for your heart health. A year after giving up, your risk of a heart attack falls to about half that of a smoker.
- Stay active—whatever the sport, getting your heart rate going every day is essential.
- Manage your weight—achieved with combined regular physical activity and a balanced diet.
- Enjoy a healthy diet—a varied and balanced diet high in fiber, low in sugar and saturated fat.
- Moderate alcohol consumption—regular drinking habits puts pressure on your entire body, avoiding it reduces your risks of heart disease.
Regular check-ups with a team of cardiologists that adopt a preventative focus ensures that the condition of your heart is accurately monitored. This favors prevention, early diagnosis and effective treatment.
Notably, this is important if you have a chronic condition, such as high blood pressure, heart failure, heart rhythm disorders, angina pectoris or atherosclerosis. It is also recommended when you have a family history of cardiovascular problems or are suffering from symptoms.
What Are the Common Symptoms of a Cardiovascular Complication?
Common symptoms include:
- Shortness of breath
- Palpitations
- Chest pain
- Fainting
- Ankle swelling
- Heart murmur
- Stroke: loss of movement in the face and body, slurred speech and loss of control
At any sign of these symptoms, do not hesitate to get in contact with a cardiologist immediately. They will be able to give you a reliable diagnosis and follow up options for treatment.
The Link between Long COVID and Cardiovascular Complications
In the current context of the COVID-19 pandemic, many patients worry about the health of their heart having contracted post COVID-19 condition, or long COVID, which onsets three months after infection. Post COVID is characterized by persisting clusters of symptoms, often overlapping that can affect any system within the body.
Many patients that suffered seriously from the infection presented serious cardiovascular complications, like thrombosis episodes (the most frequent), but also arrhythmias and a series of other cardiac complications. These heart rhythm disturbances may be presented as:
- Feeling of rapid pulse
- Palpitations
- Shortness of breath
- Fatigue
It is important that you focus on recovery to prevent the development of these conditions.
What Can I Do to Recover Quickly?
A comprehensive cardiological assessment is advisable. Early detection of these complications will help in adequate treatment and recovery; ruling them out is also important.
The range of symptoms can challenge everyday life, health and happiness, so it is important to seek medical help from a cardiologist to recover in the best way possible. Notably, to aid the most accurate diagnosis and personalized treatment, the cardiologist may prescribe you with a holter test for continuous monitoring.
Accurate Monitoring with Holter Tests: ECG, Cardiac & Blood Pressure
A holter is a small device fitted with electrodes that measures your heart’s activity such as rate and rhythm. Similar to an electrocardiogram (EKG), the holter offers the cardiologist important information of your heart’s functions but remotely and over a longer period.
The holter facilitates accurate and remote data collection from a patient as they go about their daily activities. It is a painless, non-invasive treatment that gives the cardiologists a full data set for their analysis of your symptoms.
Most commonly, these tests are used to identify potential heart disease, and come in two forms:
- Cardiac: rate and rhythm of the heart.
- Blood pressure: measures patient’s blood pressure, notably can detect for nocturnal hypertension.
Especially important in the context of the pandemic, and the many patients suffering from long COVID, the holter not only measures your heart’s rate and rhythm but also when you feel chest pains or exhibit symptoms of an irregular heartbeat, or arrhythmia.
It is important to detect cardiovascular disease as early as possible so that effective management can begin.
Contact Turó Park!
Highly qualified and experienced cardiologist, Dr. Jordi Mercé warmly welcomes you to Turó Park Medical Center’s international clinic. Dr. Mercé has expertise focused on clinical cardiology, arrhythmias and implantable cardiac devices, encompassing all heart diseases, their prevention, diagnosis, monitoring and treatment. He speaks English, French, Spanish and Catalan.
The specialists at Turó Park Medical Center focus on improving your well-being with their advice, treatments and professionalism in your native language.
You can book your appointment seven days a week, online or via WhatsApp: +34 651 130 683.
You can find out more about all the clinic’s services and book an appointment via the website at turoparkmedical.com and follow on Twitter: @park_turo, Facebook: @turoparkmedical, Instagram @turoparkmedical and LinkedIn.
Sponsored by Turó Park Clinics.
