Disease striking earlier
For Lauren and Dave McCune, a shared healthy lifestyle is the key to mending a broken heart.
The Slippery Rock couple has suffered through two heart attacks early in their lifetime: Lauren's in November, and Dave's 13 years ago.
They present two very different scenarios of heart disease, which is the leading killer of Americans.
A cardiovascular nurse at Butler Memorial Hospital, 43-year-old Lauren was hardly the typical heart attack patient.
After her husband's heart attack, she found herself adopting her own healthy lifestyle, eating broiled fish and salads and integrating exercise into the day.
But one day, while at work, the hospital's cardiovascular coordinator found herself experiencing the same symptoms she had seen in her patients for 21 years.
"I couldn't believe it," she said. "I never would have thought it would happen to me."
As it turned out, Lauren's cholesterol numbers were normal, so doctors attributed her heart attack to stress.
"There was just a lot going on in my life then and it was my body's way of telling me it was just too much," she said.
Her husband's story was much different.
At 34 years old, Dave was traveling frequently for work.
Away from his family and home-prepared food, Dave turned to prime rib specials, beef and cheesecakes and cigarettes. Although there is a history of heart disease in his family, Dave admits his body was likely reacting to his unhealthy lifestyle.
"When I went out I would eat the biggest prime rib dinner I could find," he said. "Now I'm eating fish and chicken salads."
That drastic change came after Dave considered how his lifestyle could affect his family in the future.
"When it happened, I thought about how I wanted to be able to take my girls down the aisle," he said of his two daughters. "I thought 'I have to make these modifications in my lifestyle.' "
Currently, more than 79 million Americans are suffering from some form of heart disease, according to the American Heart Association's Web site.But doctors say individuals can greatly reduce their risk by making minor changes in their lifestyle.Since 1998, when the first open heart sugery was performed at Butler Memorial Hospital, the Heart Center there has treated patients from all around the area suffering from heart disease.According to Margie McLaughlin, director of the Heart Center, demographics in recent years show a dramatic decrease in the age of people suffering from heart disease."For a long time with cardiac disease, people wanted to believe it only affected those 65 and older,"McLaughlin said."The trend lately is showing it happening younger and younger. (It's) not unusual to see patients in the 30 and 50 age ranges."According to Dr. Arshad Mahmood, who treats Lauren and her husband, there is just one indicator of early heart disease if a person is living a healthy lifestyle."A strong family history has a lot to do with the age because there is high risk of blocked arteries," he said.Heart disease can only go unnoticed if people don't take the steps necessary to recognize their problem, Mahmood said."The majority of heart disease goes undetected because people feel like they are doing good so they don't get checked up,"he said. "People need to know the risk factors and make sure they are not suffering from any of them."Risk factors for heart disease include: increasing age, male gender, heredity, smoking, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, lack of exercise, obesity, diabetes, stress and excessive alcohol consumption.
Even though the age of those suffering from heart disease continues to decrease, modern technology allows doctors to begin treatment sooner."It is affecting younger people, but we are also able to intervene earlier instead of waiting,"McLaughlin said.Doctors begin treatment early if test results show early blockages in the arteries, preventing blood from getting to the heart, eventually leading to a heart attack. The Heart Center is equipped to perform early invasive procedures such as stents and angioplasties, which can sometimes completely prevent heart attacks.An angioplasty is a catheter-based procedure used to open up a coronary artery. Stents are sometimes also inserted into the artery to keep it open, allowing blood to flow more efficiently through the body.Such procedures can save patients from lengthy hospital stays and can prevent surgical bypass procedures.Peripheral vascular disease, or clogged arteries in the legs or arms, also are symptoms of heart disease, which can be diagnosed by an interventional radiologist.In such cases, stents and early invasive procedures like those used on the heart are now being used in the peripheral arteries.
Mahmood said that, unlike Lauren, most people who do have heart attacks early in life can prevent them by making the proper lifestyle changes."Do not smoke," he cautioned. "It is one of the most common predictors for heart disease. If you do not smoke, you cut down your risk by half. People who smoke are very prone to have heart problems."Mahmood also recommended regular exercise in order to keep cholesterol numbers low."People who exercise at least four times a week live longer," he said. "Exercise keeps good cholesterol up and weight down — and with that bad cholesterol and high blood pressure also comes down. Diet alone cannot do that."Studies have shown that high LDL cholesterol (bad cholesterol) is directly linked to an elevated risk for heart disease, according to Susan Federov, a medical practitioner at Family Health Care Partners inHarrisville. However, higher HDL cholesterol can lower LDL cholesterol numbers, promoting a healthy heart."People should try to keep their LDL cholesterol number under 100, but that depends on the person," she said. "There are different risk factors for different people. Talk to your doctor about the best level for you."
Besides being aware of cholesterol numbers, Mahmood recommended every individual have a checkup once a year and those with multiple risk factors receive a stress test every five years."If they have risk factors, they just have to be careful," he said. "Just make sure to have regular screenings and tests done so potential problems can be caught early."According to BMH spokeswoman Melissa Allen, the Heart Center is the only community hospital facility to offer open heart surgery between Erie and Pittsburgh."Our heart center has stronger outcomes than a lot of city programs for one-third of what other hospitals charge," she said.The Heart Center also provides free regular comprehensive screenings. The next screening will be held sometime in May. The last one, held at the Rose Schneider YMCA in Cranberry Township, boasted a huge turnout, she said.A comprehensive screening includes blood pressure testing and a lifestyle questionaire. More detailed screenings, which would tell individuals their cholesterol numbers, are also provided at the patient's request."People really seem to be concerned with their heart health and we're glad to be able to provide that service to the community," Allen said.Since Dave and Lauren suffered their heart attacks, they have been extra careful to set aside a short amount of time daily to remain healthy."We just try to be a little more cognizant of what we should be doing," Dave said. "I think it's good because we really set an example for our children on how to eat better and exercise."The key for the Slippery Rock couple has been taking each day and each challenge one step at a time."It's a slow process," Dave said. "You can't think you're going to change overnight. We just try to make sure we're living healthy every day."
