can one have heart attack - or have heart disease - while having normal healthy cholesterol and triglycerides?
in the case I am speaking of: a 50 yr old male 210 lbs w/ no family history of heart disease, BUT some occasional pains in the chest area. electro cardiac stress test was also normal also non smoker (and never smoked), and a virtual teatotaller 5'11 210 lbs. ovrwt by about 30 lbs. ouch.
Heart Diseases - 7 Answers
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1 :
Absolutely. I was a coronary nurse for 6 years. Many of my patients would ask me how could they have a heart attack when they watched their diet, exercised, did not smoke, etc.
2 :
yes you can have heart disease as you age if you don't take the proper steps to prevent it. heart disease is NOT caused by high cholesterol. It is caused by inflammation of the arteries and veins in the body, this happens because as we age we produce less nitric oxide to keep them supple and healthy. If you wish to avoid heart disease, or cure any you may have, you need to read the book "NO More Heart Disease" by Louis Ignarro. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for medicine for his work in this field and he has literally cured heart disease in thousands with a very inexpensive supplement formula that promotes our body's production of nitric oxide. Perhaps you remember Jim Fixx? A long distance runner, had excellent Lab values and he died of sudden cardiac arrest, he had never addressed the aging process and the loss of nitric oxide production.
3 :
well look at im 16 and i just found out i got a heart problem and im not fat i dont do drugs or smoke or anything im really healthy. if u still having chest pains and there really bad maybe try going to the doctors again and if its to bad of a pain go 2 the hospital
4 :
It is possible. There can be undetected causes or even a congenital condition that has gone untreated. Usually being overweight and having higher than normal cholesterol and triglycerides go hand in hand. When was his last checkup with blood tests? When was his last checkup with a cardiologist? Also what prompted his doctor to have him go through a cardiac stress test in the first place? He is doing most of the right things for a healthy heart, except for the weight. If his cholesterol and triglycerides were high in the recent past it could have caused narrowing of coronary arteries, thus the chest pain. There is also the possibility of problems with the electrical conduction pathways of the heart. Most of your questions are best asked of his doctor/cardiologist.
5 :
Hi idic5, Yes, it is possible to have a heart attack even though cholesterol levels are within normal. A better way to assess heart health is with a comprehensive lipid profile. You may recommend your friend discuss this with his physician. All the best, Lisa Nelson RD http://www.lisanelsonrd.com
6 :
Nuclear stress test should be conducted.
7 :
chest pains can be caused by a number of things, many of them are NOT cardiac. For example acid reflux can cause chest pains that feel like a heart attack, so can esophageal spasm, and that one is relieved by nitroglycerin, making the diagnosis all that much more difficult. The reason chest pain usually gets a cardiac workup is that cardiac problems are the ones that will kill you first. Once we rule those out, we can look at the bigger picture. If you have heartburn, I'd try discussing taking a daily acid blocker like prilosec or zantac with your doctor while the workup is going. If your pains go away you have your answer
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