What is Cardiac Rehabilitation

Cardiac rehabilitation (CR) is a structured and medically supervised program designed to help individuals recover from various heart-related conditions and improve their cardiovascular health. The primary focus of cardiac rehabilitation is to enhance the overall well-being of individuals who have experienced a heart attack, undergone heart surgery, or are living with conditions such as heart failure, coronary artery disease, or angina.

The core components of cardiac rehabilitation typically include:

Medical Assessment: Before starting a cardiac rehabilitation program, individuals undergo a thorough medical assessment to evaluate their current health status, identify risk factors, and create a personalized plan for rehabilitation.
Exercise Training: Regular, supervised exercise sessions are a fundamental aspect of cardiac rehabilitation. These sessions aim to improve cardiovascular fitness, endurance, and strength. Exercise programs are tailored to the individual’s health status, ensuring safety and gradual progression.
Education: Patients receive education on heart health, risk factors, lifestyle modifications, and self-management strategies. This includes information on nutrition, medication management, and stress reduction to empower individuals to make informed decisions about their health.
Behavioral Counseling: Psychosocial support is provided to address the emotional and psychological aspects of living with heart disease. Counseling may cover stress management, coping strategies, and mental health support.
Nutritional Counseling: Dietary guidance is offered to help individuals adopt heart-healthy eating habits. This may involve managing weight, reducing sodium intake, and making nutritious food choices to control factors like high blood pressure and cholesterol.
Risk Factor Modification: Cardiac rehabilitation emphasizes lifestyle changes to address and modify risk factors associated with heart disease. This includes smoking cessation, weight management, and strategies to control conditions like diabetes.
Medication Management: Education and support are provided to help individuals understand and manage their medications effectively. This includes information on medication adherence and potential side effects.
Monitoring and Follow-up: Regular monitoring of progress and follow-up assessments are conducted to track improvements and adjust the rehabilitation plan as needed. Follow-up care is essential to maintain and reinforce positive lifestyle changes.

According to Dr. Ramji Mehrotra, Cardiac rehabilitation is typically conducted in a specialized outpatient setting, and programs may vary in duration (typically lasting several weeks to a few months). The involvement of a multidisciplinary team, including physicians, nurses, exercise physiologists, dietitians, and psychologists, ensures a comprehensive approach to care.

Participation in cardiac rehabilitation has been associated with numerous benefits, including improved exercise capacity, reduced symptoms, lower rates of hospitalization, and enhanced quality of life for individuals with cardiovascular diseases. It plays a crucial role in the continuum of care for those recovering from heart events or managing chronic heart conditions.

September 29, 2022October 17, 2022

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Women and Heart Disease

It is generally considered that heart disease affects men more than women. However, coronary heart disease is a leading cause of death for both men and women, though the symptoms may be different for both. According to research, cardiovascular disease accounts for 1 in every 3 deaths around the world.

Women and men experience heart disease differently due to the differences in the respective cardiovascular system. For example, women have smaller heart chambers and blood vessels than men. They have lesser number of red blood cells and cannot take in as much oxygen as men. Sudden drop in blood pressure and fainting are more likely in women.

Oestrogen and progesterone hormones are dominant in women, while in men it is the testosterone hormone. These also impact heart health differently.

Identification of heart disease in women

In women symptoms of cardiovascular disease are generally noticed much later than in men. The most common symptom is chest pain or angina which may feel like heaviness, pressure, aching, numbness, squeezing, etc.

Other symptoms usually observed include fatigue, breathlessness, heart palpitations, nausea, sudden sweating, etc. Anxiety, loss of appetite, frequent indigestion, intense headache and discomfort in the jaws or teeth, are other warning signs of a possible heart attack.

Women are also at higher risk for having a silent heart attack, that is an attack without any visible symptoms.

Hence, it is very essential to get medical help whenever any unusual symptoms are noticed to prevent the chances of heart attack.

Risk factors for heart disease in women

While risk factors like high cholesterol and high blood pressure affect both men and women, women face certain unique risks that affect them more. These include the following:

Obesity: During menopause women face greater risk of obesity and gaining abdominal fat which puts them at higher risk of heart disease.
High cholesterol: In women aged 65 and above, low level of HDL or good cholesterol is closely linked with death, more than in men.
Diabetes: Women with diabetes have a much greater risk of developing cardiovascular disease than men with diabetes.
Hypertension: Hypertension or high blood pressure has been found to be linked more closely with heart attacks in women than in men.
Family history: Instances of early heart disease in the family cause greater risk to women than men.

Reducing the risk of heart disease

According to Dr. Ramji Mehrotra, it is very important to adopt a healthy lifestyle in order to reduce the risk of heart disease. A healthy diet with whole grains, vegetables and fruits must be consumed. Saturated fats and high amounts of salt and sugar must be avoided to maintain good health.

Regular exercise is a must, especially for women who are overweight, in order to reduce the risk of heart disease. Stress must be kept under control with meditation and yoga, as high levels of stress have been found to cause microvascular disease.

In addition, other health conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes and high cholesterol should be managed by regular consultations with the medical practitioners.

By following the above guidelines, heart disease can be prevented in women and they can lead healthy lives.