Dr. Sharukh Byulwal

For a long time cholesterol in totality was seen as a bad thing for your body although the truth was a little more complicated than that. Cholesterol primarily is divided into two types, one of which can be categorized as bad cholesterol and the other as good cholesterol. Let's have an in-depth look at both the categories.

LDL or Low Density Lipoprotein aka bad cholesterol - Cholesterol is a wax like chemical which is found all over the body and it has important functions to perform. Cholesterol is carried all over the body by Lipoproteins. The low density lipoproteins are denoted as bad cholesterol as they can accumulate on the walls of the blood vessels and cause blockages resulting in many ailments. LDL levels of 190 and above are considered dangerous. 

Some of the risks associated with it are:

1. Heart disease
2. Stroke
3. Atherosclerosis
4. peripheral artery disease among many others

HDL or High Density Lipoprotein aka good cholesterol - This is a form of cholesterol which is usually desired in higher quantities as it removes LDL from the system by dislodging it from the arteries and then carrying it through the blood stream into the liver. The liver then breaks it down and removes it from the body. Thus, higher number of HDL cholesterol is always desirable. 

Some of the ideal numbers for HDL cholesterol within the body are:

1. Women - Ideal: 60 mg/dl, dangerous: 50 mg/dl or lower
2. Men - Ideal: 60 mg/dl, dangerous: 50 mg/dl lower

The role of triglycerides

Good and bad cholesterol levels also depend on the levels of triglycerides within the body and not just LDL or HDL cholesterol. Triglycerides are another type of fat which are used to store energy within the body but can also affect your health. It is most associated with atherosclerosis when the levels of triglycerides are high within the body. 

Some habits that contribute to high levels of it are

1. Lack of physical activity
2. Obesity or being overweight
3. Excesses in alcohol consumption
4. Smoking
5. Bad diet and others

Thus, the good cholesterol versus bad cholesterol war also includes other factors, most of which can be easily changed by making subtle changes in life style and incorporating healthier habits. This will increase the good cholesterol and the other relevant elements and reduce the bad. If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult a doctor.

Heart ablation or cardiac ablation is a procedure done to treat irregular heartbeats or arrhythmias. It is performed by an interventional cardiologist, a doctor who specialises in doing procedures for heart problems and it involves threading long wires called catheters through a blood vessel into your heart. The irregular heartbeats is treated by delivering an electrical pulse using electrodes to specific areas of your heart.

Arrhythmias
A normal heart beats at a steady rate, but sometimes, your heart may beat too quickly, too slowly, or unevenly. These heart rhythm problems are called arrhythmias and one of the treatments for this heart problem is cardiac ablation. Other treatment modalities are medications and changes in lifestyle. Heart ablation is prescribed when the other treatments fail. Arrhythmias mostly happen in older people and in people who suffer from other heart problems like cardiomyopathy.

Here are answers to most frequently asked questions related to ablation

Who will benefit from heart ablation?
The beneficiaries include people who

• Suffer from arrhythmias that don’t respond to medicines
• Suffer from side effects from arrhythmia medicines
• Suffer from a specific kind of arrhythmia that respond very well to cardiac ablation
• Are at a high risk for cardiac arrest or other complications which can be fatal

Cardiac ablation is very helpful for patients who have certain kinds of arrhythmias like atrial fibrillation and ventricular tachycardia, which cause fast heartbeats.

How to prepare for cardiac ablation?
You will have to undergo extensive tests to record your heart’s electrical activity and rhythm. Your doctor will ask and record whether you have any other disease like high BP and diabetes.
If you are a woman and pregnant, you must not get this procedure done as it involves radiation. You will not be allowed to eat or drink anything after midnight, the night before the procedure.

How is heart ablation done?

Heart ablations are done in a special room known as an electrophysiology laboratory. It usually takes three to six hours and is usually done under general anaesthesia or local anaesthesia with sedation.
The catheters are threaded either from your neck, groyne or arm into your heart. Your cardiologist also injects a special contrast dye to help him see areas of abnormal muscle in your heart. He then uses a catheter with an electrode at the tip to give radiofrequency energy to the weak heart muscle to correct your irregular heartbeat.
You may have to stay overnight after the procedure.

Risks associated

1. Bleeding
2. Blood clots
3. Damage to heart valves or arteries
4. The build-up of fluid around your heart
5. Heart attack
6. Infection

Inflammation of sac surrounding your heart or pericarditis You will have to be monitored regularly after ablation to check for problems in your heart beats. If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult a Cardiologist.

A flu shot can prevent a heart attack! Here’s how.

Every year, heart diseases become a major reason of death all over the world.  But did you know that a simple vaccine like a flu shot can be instrumental in saving you from a heart attack?

Read on to find how this simple vaccine can save your life...

Influenza or flu has been linked with heart diseases for long and patients suffering from these diseases are always advised to be cautious in the flu season to reduce the risk of heart attacks. The ‘Journal of the American Medical Association’ recently published a study, which revealed that people who have already observed symptoms of heart diseases in them, can diminish their chances of getting a heart attack and stroke by opting to get a flu shot. Among the 6735 participants of the study, 50% were given flu shots. The results observed declared that there was 36% less chance of heart diseases and stroke resulting in death in people who had received this vaccine. Moreover, recent sufferers of a heart attack were proved to be at 55% reduced threat of experiencing another major heart problem after taking the shot.

How can the flu vaccine reduce the risk of a heart attack?

The flu vaccine  works towards strengthening your immune system, and thereby decreasing the risks of a potential stroke.

One theory suggests that if a person is suffering from flu, he/she experiences an increased heart rate, elevated body temperature and augmented oxygen content of the blood, besides an alteration in the consistency in blood, which can give rise to a blood clot. Now, heart attack is mostly caused when an artery of a person is 85-90 per cent blocked by plaque, but a person having flu may be at a risk of getting it merely with 40 per cent artery blockage. The function of the flu shot is to prevent flu, which in turn prevents plaque build up in your body, thereby reducing chances of a heart attack.

Another hypothesis is that the flu shot intervenes with the functioning of the immune system of your body, and helps in developing antibodies, which provide better protection against different types of infections, thus preventing heart attacks and strokes.

'Consult'.