by Dr. George Cloatre & Dr. Ngô Chí Hiếu*

Việt Nam has done a far better job than most countries in managing the COVID pandemic, but we are well advised to stay alert. Việt Nam is now safe as we all resume our normal life. We are once again busy, immersing ourselves in social and personal activities. But there may an impact of the period of inactivity, or prior illness. Have you paused to reassure yourself that you are feeling fit? Are you taking enough  care of your body? Are you listening to it? Are you sure your heart is healthy and ready to support your active lifestyle?

To properly perform any activity, we need not only good health but also a strong heart. A healthy heart is a precious gift to everyone. The heart beats nonstop from birth to death in 80 years or more, carrying blood to and from all  body organs, providing energy so we can enjoy full health and long life. Keeping your heart healthy helps reduce your risks and prevent heart diseases.

When you enter middle age, your body transitions to a new phase. Sometimes you might feel tired more often, or you might experience chest tightness  or exhaustion while exercising.

Do you know that cardiovascular diseases, especially coronary disease, are among the leading causes of sudden death (9/10 cases) in this age group? Moreover, the manifestations in the early stages can be discreet.

You may be an active and athletic person. You may have a well-balanced lifestyle and diet with an ideal height - weight index. However, recently you may have been feeling exhausted and experiencing signs of heaviness, shortness of breath, weight gain, etc.

You may be energetic and active at work. However, recently your stream of thoughts may have slowed down, or some dizziness gradually might have appeared. You self-test your blood pressure and it may have come out unstable, either too high or too low. You can also feel your heart beating fast, even when you are at rest.

Being young does not mean being healthy.  In our 20s and 30s, we are less aware of the health  signs our bodies are giving us, not until we fall ill.  From a young age, our bodies have been naturally physically fitter than in middle age, yet this does not guarantee the absence of any “silent disease or condition” which may not show any clinically evident symptoms in the early stages. Those symptoms are possibly linked to many dangerous health problems such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels, heart disease, certain cancers, diabetes, etc.

We all deal with risk factors for lifestyle diseases that affect our wellbeing no matter which age group we are in.  Therefore, a regular preventive health checkup is recommended to everyone. Early diagnosis can help detect diseases while they are still progressing slowly in early stage in which they can be controlled or reversed.

Along with coronary artery disease, stroke is one of the leading causes of death and disability. The trigger of stroke, as well as its underlying cause, is hypertension, also known as high blood pressure. None of us wants to become the burden of the family and our beloved ones. None of us wants to become ill, or even become disabled. Therefore, Hanoi French Hospital recommends you to visit our specialists and get screened for early detection of hypertension and stoke, as proposed in our cardio-screening package.

We strongly recommend having a heart health check if you are male and aged over 45 years old, or if you are a female aged over 55 years old. If you have a family history of heart disease, if you suffer from high blood pressure or diabetes, or if you live a stressful life and are constantly on the go, if you have a habit of smoking, you should have a heart checkup annually from 35 years of age onwards. Remember, taking actions early means preventing foreseeable problems and promoting your standard of living. — Hanoi French Hospital

Dr. George Cloatre is a clinical cardiologist, and Dr. Ngô Chí Hiếu is an interventional cardiologist.

Together they bring state of the art knowledge and treatment for cardiovascular conditions, diseases and interventions to our customers.

If you have any questions or want to book an appointment with our doctors, please contact us at our phone number 84 – 24.3577.1100, access www.hfh.com.vn, or email us at contact@hfh.com.vn. Address: 1 Phương Mai, Đống Đa, Hà Nội