Matters of the heart

Preventive efforts can help cut risk of heart disease

Todd Jackson looked at the tree-filled path ahead of him.

Lush. Green. Warm. A bright hole of light peered back through the trees from where the path met the horizon..

But Jackson was walking on a treadmill in a North Valley Hospital room - with roughly 10 sensors wired to his torso.

The wooded path ahead was a big color photograph hanging on a wall.

It was to keep Jackson's attention so he wouldn't look down at the treadmill and lose his balance.

"All I see is the light at the end of the tunnel," Jackson huffed on the treadmill.

The 48-year-old Jackson's treadmill gradually sped to 4.2 mph. Its front slowly climbed to an incline of 16 degrees.

His heart beat faster and faster.

Specialized cells in his heart sent electrical signals to the organ's muscles - an organic triggering that lasts a lifetime.

"God was pretty clever," cardiologist Dr. Patrick Madigan said.

Jackson's target: 146 beats a minute or more, a figure calculated by age and weight.

Cardio-sonographer Heather Curtiss and nurse Nancy Dallman already had taken electrical recordings and sonograms of Jackson's heart at rest. The sonograms are similar to ultrasound imaging of a pregnant woman's fetus.

It was now time to record Jackson's heart in action at 85 percent or more of its maximum heartbeat.

Twelve minutes of treadmilling passed.

Jackson got off the treadmill. Curtiss and Dallman had two minutes before his heart rate would drop below its treadmill pace.

They hooked up the sensors and recorded video and figures in roughly 30 seconds.

Madigan would later study that data, getting a grasp on the future health of Jackson's heart.

"I'm a believer in preventative maintenance. … It's like being a chopper pilot checking on his motor - what's working right, what ain't working right. Why not do it with your own heart?" Jackson said.

Jackson, of Columbia Falls, recently retired after 30 years with Plum Creek Timber Co. and just began working for his wife at CJ's Cleaning.

Federal statistics show that heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, although the death rate has dropped 25.8 percent since 1999.

The American Heart Association has been trying to get people to reduce their major changeable risk factors for heart attacks.

These include hypertension, high blood cholesterol, obesity, diabetes, lack of exercise and smoking.

Smoking alone increases the risk of heart disease five times, said Dr. Betty Kuffel, who practices internal medicine at North Valley Hospital.

Cases of hypertension, high cholesterol and smoking have dropped significantly less - 15.2 to 19.2 percent - than the 25.8 percent decline in heart disease since 1999, heart association statistics said.

A lack of exercise still looms as a major cause, dropping only slightly since 1999, the heart association said.

Warning signs of a heart attack include:

-Discomfort - such as squeezing, pressure or pain - in the center of the chest that does not go away after a few minutes, or that goes away and then comes back.

-Pain or discomfort in the upper body such as the arms, back, neck, jaw or stomach.

-Shortness of breath.

-A cold sweat, nausea or lightheadedness.

Women also are susceptible to a heart problem called microvascular dysfunction in which tiny blood vessels in the heart become stiff and cannot dilate, Kuffel said. This can lead to additional symptoms of weakness, exhaustion, depression, anxiety, abdominal pain, and pain that comes with exercise and goes away with rest.

Kuffel said heart problems can sneak up on women because the symptoms resemble other ailments.

The bottom line is to get checked if a heart problem is suspected, she said.

As a cautionary measure, Kuffel recommends that a person knows his or her personal numbers plus the recommended limits for blood sugar, cholesterol and blood pressure.

If someone even approaches a figure that is on the borderline of what is considered safe, that person should take preventive measures, she said. These could include medication, aspirin, losing weight, more exercise, quitting smoking and other lifestyle changes.

Eating low-fat food and avoiding fried foods are recommended. Oatmeal and fish oil supplements also can bring cholesterol within safe levels.

Reporter John Stang may be reached at 758-4429 or by e-mail at jstang@dailyinterlake.com