Can a positive mindset prevent cardiovascular disease?
Cardiovascular disease, including cardiovascular diseases such as myocardial infarction and cerebrovascular diseases such as stroke, is not only a major cause of death in Japan but also a factor leading to bedriddenness.
Cardiovascular diseases account for the highest proportion of medical expenses, and in Japan, where the aging population is progressing and medical expenses are increasing, it is important to reduce the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases and reduce the number of bedridden people. It has become a challenge.
Against this background, many studies are being conducted on the effects of negative emotions such as depression on cardiovascular diseases in today's stressful society.
Investigating the effects of fulfillment and fulfillment on health
A positive psychological state, such as a sense of fulfillment and fulfillment in life, is scientifically called "psychological well-being."
The relationship between the 'meaning' and 'purpose' that make one's life worth living, which underlies positive emotions, and the risk of cardiovascular disease is well understood. do not have.
Therefore, the research group conducted research to clarify the relationship between psychological well-being, which is a positive emotion, and the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases.
The research was conducted by a research group led by Specially Appointed Associate Professor Ai Noda and Professor Takeshi Tanikawa of the Department of Public Health, Juntendo University School of Medicine. The research results were published in the American medical journal Hypertension.
Which is more important? Hedonism and the Meaning and Purpose of Life
The research group analyzed data from the Whitehall II study, a long-term, large-scale longitudinal study in the United Kingdom, to investigate the causal relationship between psychological well-being and the risk of developing cardiovascular disease.
The study began in 1985 with civil servants working in central London and followed up with questionnaires and various laboratory tests every four to five years.
This time, we set the period from 2007 to 2009 as the reference period and analyzed using the self-administered questionnaire "CASP-19" for evaluating psychological well-being.
CASP-19 defines psychological well-being in four areas: "joy and enjoyment of life," "control," "autonomy," and "self-actualization." was used as an index of ``hedonic well-being'' (a state of feeling pleasure), and items in the other three domains were used as an index of ``eudaimonia well-being'' (a state of feeling meaning and purpose in life).
Hedonia well-being, also described as "hedonism," describes a state of feeling well-being and joy through the five senses and the absence of pain or discomfort. For example, the temporary sensual happiness you feel while eating delicious food.
Eudaimonia well-being, on the other hand, is described as "a sense of meaning or purpose in life, or good mental functioning," and represents a state in which a person's ability to stay is functioning satisfactorily. For example, the happiness you feel when you live a life that is not only fun but also faces difficulties toward a meaningful goal.
Positive feelings can suppress arteriosclerosis
The research group measured the aortic pulse wave velocity (PWV), which is an index of arteriosclerosis, at baseline and 5 years later.
4754 patients (mean age 65.3 years; males: 3466) who had no cerebrovascular or cardiovascular disease at baseline, responded to the CASP-19, and had PWV measured either at baseline or 5 years later 1288 people, women), and investigated the relationship between psychological well-being and changes in PWV over 5 years.
They found that men with high levels of eudaimonia well-being (a sense of meaning and purpose in life) had lower mean PWV values and reduced arteriosclerosis than men with low levels. It was also found that this trend persisted after 5 years.
In addition, regarding hedonic well-being (pleasure sensation), such a relationship was not observed in both males and females.
How you feel affects cardiovascular disease and bedridden
These findings suggest that feeling a sense of "meaning and purpose in life" is more likely to prevent the progression of arteriosclerosis in men than a state of feeling "pleasure."
Many elderly people in Japan today are living in an era in which the idea that "husbands work outside the home and wives take care of the home" is widely accepted.
It is important for elderly men who have worked hard to find meaning and purpose in their post-retirement life and to set a second life goal.
said the researcher. the group says.
Shortness of breath in people with high blood pressure and diabetes may be SOS from the heart
According to the Japanese Circulation Society and the Japanese Heart Failure Society, heart failure is a condition in which the function of the heart slows down, causing shortness of breath and swelling, and gradually worsening. Without proper treatment, it often ends up shortening lives.
Heart disease is the second most common cause of death in Japan after cancer, and heart failure is the most common cause of heart disease. More than 80,000 people die each year from heart failure.
In Japan, where the population is aging, there are fears that a "heart failure pandemic", in which the number of heart failure cases will increase significantly, will occur.
The number of heart failure patients is increasing by about 10,000 each year and is estimated to reach 1.2 million in 2020 and 1.3 million in 2030.
Shortness of breath in people with high blood pressure and diabetes may be SOS from the heart
According to the Japanese Circulation Society and the Japanese Heart Failure Society, heart failure is a condition in which the function of the heart slows down, causing shortness of breath and swelling, and gradually worsening. Without proper treatment, it often ends up shortening lives.
Heart disease is the second most common cause of death in Japan after cancer, and heart failure is the most common cause of heart disease. More than 80,000 people die each year from heart failure.
In Japan, where the population is aging, there are fears that a "heart failure pandemic", in which the number of heart failure cases will increase significantly, will occur.
The number of heart failure patients is increasing by about 10,000 each year and is estimated to reach 1.2 million in 2020 and 1.3 million in 2030.
Few people understand heart failure
If heart failure develops, it is important to detect it early, start treatment, and suppress the progression of heart failure as much as possible.
The most common cause of heart failure is myocardial infarction, followed by hypertension. Furthermore, diabetes, dyslipidemia, obesity, metabolic syndrome, and chronic kidney disease increase the risk of arteriosclerosis and cause myocardial infarction.
In particular, diabetes patients are more likely to develop concomitant heart failure if their glycemic control continues to be poor. To prevent heart failure, it is important to thoroughly treat diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidemia, obesity, chronic kidney disease, etc., and to quit smoking if you smoke.
According to the "Survey on Japanese Heart Failure Awareness" conducted by Novartis Pharma, only 1 in 4 people have an accurate understanding of heart failure. The survey was conducted online in May of this year targeting 1,004 men and women in their 20s to 80s nationwide.
According to the survey, the most common disease that they or their family members might suffer from is "cancer" (43%), followed by "hypertension" (31%), and "diabetes" (25%). %) followed.
As for heart disease, "myocardial infarction" (17%), "arrhythmia" (11%), and "heart failure" (9%) were few. It was not known that the prevalence of heart failure was increasing in Japan as well.
In order not to miss the SOS from the heart
Early symptoms of heart failure include shortness of breath and swelling. In addition, symptoms such as weight gain, loss of appetite, abdominal bloating, fatigue, low blood pressure, and cold hands and feet may occur. If you have any of these worrisome symptoms, it is recommended that you consult your doctor.
At first, shortness of breath in heart failure is limited to feeling shortness of breath on stairs or slopes, but as heart failure progresses, shortness of breath occurs even when walking on level ground and even at rest. It is important to recognize heart failure before shortness of breath worsens.
In addition, when the kidneys fail, the body cannot excrete enough water, and swelling (edema) tends to occur. Additionally, weight gain may accompany the swelling. Check your weight daily and if you notice a sudden increase in weight, consult your doctor immediately.
In the survey, many people imagined acute symptoms such as "sudden chest pain" and "sudden chest pain" as symptoms of heart failure.
However, in reality, there are many cases of "chronic heart failure," in which the function of the heart gradually declines.
Only 47% of people know that there are two types of heart failure: acute heart failure and chronic heart failure. ”was answered by 57%.
If heart failure can be detected early, I would definitely like to get tested
Screening is essential for early detection of heart failure. An electrocardiogram and chest X-ray are usually performed first. If the lungs appear whitish on a chest X-ray, there may be congested blood vessels in the lungs.
BNP and echocardiography are then performed. BNP is a hormone secreted mainly from the ventricles when the heart is stressed. The lower the heart function and the greater the burden on the heart, the higher the value. By looking at the concentration of BNP in a blood test, it is possible to roughly know the degree of burden on the heart.
A BNP level of 40 pg/mL or higher is generally indicative of mild heart failure. Levels above 100 pg/mL may indicate heart failure and higher levels require treatment.
There is also a test called NT-proBNP. BNP and NT-proBNP are used for the same purpose, but there are numerical differences. In general, NT-proBNP shows a 4- to 5-fold higher value than BNP.
In the survey, only 3% of people knew about the "BNP test" among heart tests. On the other hand, 78% of the respondents answered that they would like to be tested if they could detect heart failure at an early stage.
Ehime Prefecture has the second highest mortality rate from heart disease in Japan.
Ehime Prefecture has the second highest death rate from heart disease in Japan. Heart failure and acute myocardial infarction are the most common causes of heart disease deaths, and the prefectural government speculates that deaths from heart disease due to heart failure are particularly common.
Therefore, Ehime Prefecture, Ehime University, and Novartis Pharma jointly launched an industry-government-academia collaboration project to implement measures against cardiovascular diseases, mainly heart failure, and hypertension.
The goals are to "extend the healthy life expectancy of Ehime residents", "reduce the mortality rate related to cardiovascular disease", and "optimize medical expenses for each patient by reducing the number of hospitalizations for cardiovascular disease".
The prefecture also ranks among the top in the nation for the rate of people diagnosed with high blood pressure, a risk factor for heart failure. Despite this, the rate of hospital visits for hypertension is on par with the national average, suggesting that there are many cases in which blood pressure is not well controlled.
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