This month we feature Dr. Damodharan, consultant cardiologist, who completed DM Cardiology from Madras Medical College, Chennai and Fellowship in Interventional cardiology, Escorts Hospital,New Delhi. He has presented many Scientific Papers in CSI and in various national meets and medical journals.

His area of special interest being Interventional cardiology for coronary heart diseases and coronary heart syndrome with primary angioplasty or balloon angioplasty in case of mycardial infarctions.

Please tell us how does one ascertain that his or her heart is working efficiently?

If your BP is normal 120/80, your lipid level is in the healthy range and you are able to carry out physical work that raises your heart beat, then by and large your heart is doing fine, though, it is advisable to assess it periodically with an ECG and Echo.

But if you are a 45 year old male or a 55 year old female, with a smoking habit, diabetic and have a family history of heart ailments, lead a stressful and sedentary life , then you are at risk of developing a cardiac problem and a periodic monitoring of the heart is essential.

The common observation is that heart problems are on the rise and people develop heart attacks as early as 25 years. However this was not the case a few years ago.

True, the number of the heart patients has gone up and this is mainly due to the westernisation and one consumes more of calorie rich fiberless food. The stress levels are much higher than it was in the previous decade. Also with technological improvement and awareness the faulty conditions are diagnosed early.

There is a feeling that angioplasty or stenting are not as effective as a bypass surgery. Is bypass surgery superior to angioplasty?

Angioplasty is the technique of mechanically widening a narrowed or obstructed blood vessel, typically as a result of atherosclerosis ( cholesterol deposits on the walls of the artery).

Bypass surgery is a surgical procedure that makes an alternative route past a blockage or narrowing, in an artery or vein.

This statement cannot be generalized that one procedure is superior to the other. In case the patient has a single large block, easily accessible, a stenting (angioplasty) would help. In the case of a diabetic patient with multiple blocks the bypass surgery would be the best option.

Earlier non medicated stents were used and their effectiveness was questionable.

Now with the medicine eluting stents their effectiveness is comparable to that of a by pass surgery.

Please let us know how to take care of the heart.

To keep the heart healthy and hearty one should adopt a healthy lifestyle that will keep you active and would comprise of eating more of fruits, vegetables and cereals, work on minimizing the other risk factors like diabetes, blood pressure, cholesterol and stress.