Cardiovascular diseases such as heart attacks are the most common cause of death in Germany.
Scientists found a new harbinger of heart attacks.
Most people in Germany die from cardiovascular disease.
According to the Federal Statistical Office, over 250,000 people died in 2019 as a result of heart attacks, strokes, atrial fibrillation * or cerebral infarction.
Among the various heart diseases, coronary artery disease was the most common cause of death: The insufficient supply of oxygen to the heart muscle due to a narrowing of the coronary arteries resulted in 73,459 deaths in 2019.
The results of a newly published study could now help doctors identify people at risk for cardiovascular disease early - years before symptoms appear.
In many cases a heart attack could have been prevented.
For example, if high blood pressure had been detected earlier and correctly adjusted.
Changing your lifestyle towards more exercise and a healthier diet also reduces the risk of developing heart disease.
Regular check-ups by the doctor also help identify signs of heart problems at an early stage and take countermeasures.
An international team of researchers has investigated the question of how heart disease can be detected as early as possible
.
Because with heart diseases, as with many other diseases, the following applies: If they are detected early, the right therapy can successfully counteract them.
The research team analyzed 52 studies.
It emerged that one factor was significantly linked to the development of heart disease: calcium deposits in the abdominal aorta.
According to study author Josh Lewis of the Australian ECU's School of Medical and Health Sciences, these calcium deposits in the human artery are a clear early warning signal for future heart diseases: "
Heart diseases are often 'silent killers' because many people don't know that they are at risk or that they are they show early warning signs
such as
B. a calcification of the abdominal or coronary arteries ", he is quoted by the specialist portal Eurekalert:" If the corresponding pre-stress is recognized earlier, people could change their lifestyle and start preventive treatments earlier. "
Calcium deposits in the main artery indicate a risk of heart attack
According to the study, people with calcium deposits in the abdominal aorta were two to four times more likely to develop heart disease.
According to the researchers, such deposits are often discovered in routine examinations, for example in the context of x-rays.
“
The abdominal aorta is one of the first places where calcium can be deposited in the arteries - even before the heart
.
If we can see this early on, we can step in and make lifestyle and medication changes to keep the disease from getting worse, ”said Lewis.
What the study results mean for future early diagnosis examinations with regard to heart disease has not yet been clarified.
The study authors hope, however, that their study will
sensitize
medical professionals around the world to the
early detection of heart disease
.
(jg) * Merkur.de belongs to the Germany-wide Ippen-Digital editorial network
.
More sources: https://www.destatis.de/DE/Themen/Gesellschaft-Umwelt/Gesundheit/Todesursachen/Tabellen/sterbefaelle-herz-kreislauf- Krankungen-inssum.html
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