Last week, 66-year-old Mr. Hu suddenly felt dizzy, chest tightness, and pale at home. His family quickly called 120 and sent him to the hospital. After examination, he was diagnosed with acute myocardial infarction. Doctors immediately performed heart stent surgery to open the blocked coronary arteries. Due to timely treatment, Mr. Hu is out of danger.
"In winter, the number of patients with cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases has increased significantly, and they are getting younger." Chen Erdong, director of the Department of Cardiology at Taiyuan Hospital (Central Hospital) of Peking University Hospital, said that this has a lot to do with the sudden drop in temperature in winter, especially for patients with People with high blood pressure, coronary heart disease, heart failure and other diseases are at a higher risk of sudden cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases.
Hypertensive patients -
Blood pressure tends to go crazy in winter. Regular monitoring is the key.
Aunt Guo, 70, has suffered from high blood pressure for 6 years and gets worried whenever winter comes. The temperature has dropped recently. She will measure her blood pressure 2 hours after getting up every morning. "As the weather gets colder, my blood pressure becomes unstable and fluctuates more. The doctor asked me to pay attention to my blood pressure." Aunt Guo is very worried about cardiovascular and cerebrovascular accidents.
"Cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases are the collective name for diseases of the heart, blood vessels and cerebrovascular. Cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases have the characteristics of high incidence, high disability rate, high mortality, high recurrence rate and many complications." Chen Erdong said, "Winter When the weather is cold, this stimulation will cause the human body's sympathetic nerves to be abnormally excited, causing the heart's contractility to increase, peripheral blood vessels to constrict, and causing an increase in systolic and diastolic blood pressure. Long-term hypertension can thicken or harden the artery walls and thin the lumen. , which in turn affects the blood supply to the heart and brain."
"Among the outpatient patients, some patients with high blood pressure think that they do not need to take antihypertensive drugs if they have no symptoms. Some patients are worried about the side effects of antihypertensive drugs and do not take the drugs regularly as prescribed by their doctors. "These practices are not advisable." Chen Erdong suggested that patients with hypertension should regularly monitor their blood pressure in winter and take antihypertensive drugs on time. If their blood pressure is not well controlled, they should seek medical treatment in time and the doctor will adjust the antihypertensive drug regimen. Generally, there are three peak periods of blood pressure 2 hours after getting up in the morning, between 16:00 and 17:00, and at night. Patients can measure their blood pressure during these three periods and monitor it continuously for 1 to 2 weeks.
Keep warm from the cold and exercise moderately. For hypertensive patients who have the habit of morning exercise, they should especially protect their head, neck, and feet when going out in winter, and try to avoid going out when the temperature drops sharply or in hazy weather. The best time to exercise in winter should be when the temperature rises. The exercise time should not be too long and the intensity should not be too high.
Eat a light diet and live a regular life. Patients with high blood pressure should pay attention to eating in moderation during the winter, follow the dietary principles of low salt and low fat, quit smoking and limit alcohol, and reduce risk factors that cause blood pressure fluctuations.
Patients with coronary heart disease -
Don't carry chest tightness and chest pain. Seek medical attention as soon as possible.
In the cardiology intensive care unit of Taiyuan Hospital of Peking University Hospital, more than a dozen monitors are making rhythmic ticking sounds. The nurses are carefully checking each bed next to it. Check, look up at the monitor, look down at the patient...
Uncle Du from Qingxu County is a patient here. At midnight on November 27, Uncle Du, who was suffering from coronary heart disease, suddenly felt chest pain and tightness. In order not to disturb his children's rest, he took medicine by himself and did not tell his children until the morning. Upon seeing this, the children rushed their father to the emergency department of Taiyuan Hospital (Central Hospital) of Peking University Hospital.
"Once a patient with coronary heart disease has chest tightness and pain, he must not carry it and seek medical treatment promptly." Chen Erdong said that 12 hours from the onset of illness is the prime time for treatment. Once the best time for treatment is missed, cardiac function will be damaged. Myocardial cells are necrotic and cannot regenerate, which can lead to cardiac insufficiency, heart failure and other conditions. Some data show that if the blocked blood vessels can be opened within 1 hour after the onset of illness, the patient's mortality rate will be only 1%. If the blocked blood vessels are delayed until 6 hours after the onset of illness, the mortality rate will increase to more than 6%.
"Coronary heart disease is afraid of cold." Chen Erdong explained that this is because the coronary arteries of patients with coronary heart disease are already blocked by plaque, resulting in stenosis of the blood vessel cavity, blocked blood flow, and insufficient myocardial blood oxygen. Under normal circumstances, maintaining The blood supply to the whole body is already "just a matter of effort".In winter, cold temperatures will stimulate vasoconstriction, further reducing coronary blood flow and reducing blood supply to the myocardium. The heart will be ischemic and hypoxic, and the patient's possibility of angina pectoris and myocardial infarction will further increase.
Chen Erdong suggested that if you have persistent chest pain, you should seek medical treatment in time; keep warm and add clothes in time; exercise moderately, such as jogging, swimming and other soothing sports. The amount of exercise should be as long as there is no discomfort. Stop exercising if you feel any discomfort at all. On the contrary, it can induce angina pectoris and even myocardial infarction.
Heart failure patients——
A sudden drop in temperature is prone to attack. Get vaccinated to prevent infection
"Heart failure is the abbreviation of heart failure. Heart failure is the severe stage of all cardiovascular diseases such as coronary heart disease, hypertension, and cardiomyopathy. At this time The pumping function of the heart declines, just like a 'ball' with reduced elasticity. The blood volume output cannot meet the metabolic needs of the whole body, and then symptoms of hypoxia and congestion occur." Chen Erdong said that clinical symptoms are often dyspnea, fatigue, and edema. (especially the lower limbs), etc., which may be life-threatening in severe cases.
"There will be some signs when patients develop heart failure, such as chest tightness, palpitation and shortness of breath. If these symptoms occur, they should seek medical treatment as soon as possible." Chen Erdong specially reminded that in winter, heart failure patients must pay attention to preventing infectious diseases.
Prevent respiratory diseases. Patients with heart failure often have pulmonary congestion. Congestion is a "good place" to nourish bacteria and viruses. Once a cold occurs, lung infection is more likely to occur and aggravate heart failure. Chen Erdong suggested that before autumn, if your heart function is stable, you can get the flu vaccine.
Eat a light diet. Avoid eating spicy, greasy, and salty foods, because these foods will make people feel thirsty after being full, causing patients to drink more water and increasing the burden on the heart.
Do not do morning exercises. Under the evaluation of a doctor, patients with heart failure can choose exercises that suit them, such as Tai Chi, jogging, walking, etc. The amount of exercise should be moderate and activities should be done at noon. In addition, avoid going to places where people gather, and try not to go out when encountering heavy pollution.
Chen Erdong specially reminded that annual physical examination is very important. People who have the conditions are recommended to do carotid artery ultrasound. This is an auxiliary examination used to check whether the arteries and blood vessels are normal, which can achieve early detection, early intervention and early treatment. .
Reporter Liu Tao Taiyuan Evening News 
[Source: Taiyuan Daily]
