Here are some of the myths people believe when it comes to heart diseases:
- Heart diseases are men’s diseases: This is not true. The classical presentation does show gender variation but it doesn’t mean that women don’t get heart diseases at all. Heart diseases are the leading cause of death in a woman, ahead of all the cancers combined.
- I am too young to get heart diseases: Smoking,alcohol,sedentary life, sleep deprivation, faulty diet are all the leading risk factors for heart diseases. This brings to picture the lifestyle led by the younger generation typically those in their twenties and thirties.
- Red wine is good for the heart: There are no recorded evidences for this fact. What is true however is the fact that any alcohol, in a moderate amount, has a protective influence over your heart.
- I do not experience any signs and symptoms so I am healthy: Cardiovascular diseases like hypertension progress gradually over the years. They remain symptomless for the major part of the development and when the symptoms appear, the disease is at a very advanced stage.
- I did not have chest pain, that couldn’t have been a heart attack: Though chest pain is the classical symptom of heart attack; it may not manifest itself in all case.The classical presentation also tends to vary. Diabetics are prone to silent heart attacks.
- Heart disease runs in my family, I am sure to get it too: Part of the myth is true enough. If your family members suffer from heart disease there are high chances of you getting them do. But it isn’t that there is nothing you can do about it. Prevention is cure. Preventive measures like lifestyle changes, dieting, exercising go a long way in preventing you from getting heart diseases. People who do not have history of heart disease also suffer a heart disease and have a heart attack too.
- I have had a heart attack, I am not supposed to exercise: You are not supposed to overstrain your heart by going for strenuous exercises. Your doctor and physiotherapist will help you chart out the ideal workout for you keeping in mind your heart’s condition.
- I am not fat, so I may not get heart diseases: Though obese people are more prone to heart diseases, thin people are not totally immune from it. A lot of factors go into making you prone to heart disease. So if you smoke, drink a lot, are stressed at work or have a family member who has a heart disease, you are prone to get it too!
- Frequent leg pains are because of old age: Swelling up of ankles, leg pains are common in old age. But they may also be signs of heart failure.
- I am diabetic and I take my medicines regularly, so that should keep my heart safe: This is not always the case. Several of the causative factors are overlapping and diabetes and heart diseases are often co-morbid with each other.
