Watch for These Symptoms of Heart Muscle Health

Shortness of Breath When Climbing Stairs May Indicate Heart Muscle Stiffening

Heart muscle stiffening manifests with symptoms such as nighttime shortness of breath, fatigue while walking and climbing stairs. Cardiology Specialist Dr. Gürsel Ateş from Anadolu Health Center, noting that these symptoms are alarm-level indicators, stated: "If you are in the risk group for heart muscle stiffening, it is possible to catch this problem through early cardiac examinations in younger ages before alarm-level symptoms develop."

Regular Heart Check-ups Are Very Important

Cardiology Specialist Dr. Gürsel Ateş, noting that heart muscle stiffening does not present any symptoms in its early stages, explained: "When it starts to manifest with complaints such as nighttime shortness of breath, chest pain, fatigue while walking or climbing stairs, the problem has already progressed to an advanced stage. For this reason, regular heart check-ups are very important in both women and men, especially from age 40 onwards. However, if you are in the risk group, you can definitely have these check-ups done at an earlier age with a simple procedure called cardiac echocardiography (ECHO)."

Risk Group: Hypertension Patients, Competitive Athletes and Workers in Physically Demanding Occupations

Cardiology Specialist Dr. Gürsel Ateş, pointing out that patients with high blood pressure in their arteries and those with heart valve disorders are at highest risk for heart muscle stiffening, stated: "According to figures, heart muscle stiffening develops in 30-40% of hypertension patients. Weight-lifting athletes and workers in physically demanding occupations are also in the risk group. For example, due to heavy exercise, the body constantly needs more blood. This means the heart must work harder to pump more blood, increasing its workload."

Salt Consumption Stiffens Heart Muscle

Dr. Gürsel Ateş, stating that treatment for heart muscle stiffening is not aimed at reversing or reducing the thickening, explained: "The main purpose of treatment is to address as much as possible the difficulties the heart experiences when in a relaxed position and to enable action by examining all the causes underlying this condition."

Recommendations for Heart Health

• Reduce your salt consumption. The biggest mistake is consuming bottle after bottle of soda and mineral water. Do not forget that mineral water contains salt. Furthermore, consuming salts like rock salt or sea salt thinking they are "healthier" makes no sense. All types of salt are harmful to the heart and raise blood pressure. • Always take care not to gain excess weight. • Do not carry or lift weight exceeding five kilograms. • Avoid sports such as weight lifting and running. You can perform lighter exercises recommended by your doctor. • If you have hypertension, do not neglect your check-ups and medications. • Even if you have no symptoms, have your heart examinations done, especially from age 40 onwards.