Thursday, July 4, 2013

Is heart attack written on your face?

Doctors and insurance underwriters depend on a man’s numbers to evaluate his cardiac risk. Careful measurements can delineate blood pressure and body mass index, and tests can quantify cholesterol and blood sugar as well as the new indicators of inflammation and infection.

But can you cast numbers aside and relay on obvious physical characteristics to determine risk?





It’s not that simple, but although appearance can be deceiving, they may be able provides some clues.

At least four to five physical characteristics have been linked to cardiac risk.

1. Short stature
Since it could reflect poor nutrition early in life, it’s conceivable that shortness may have a biological link to atherosclerosis.

2. Balding head
Is an indicator of heart problem, which depends on male hormone testosterone.

3. Cholesterol deposits on eyelids
This is more prevalent in men with heart disease than in healthy gents.

4. Hairy chest
Is associated with cardiac risk and depend on male hormone testosterone.

5. Diagonal ear lobe crease
This is more prevalent among men having heart disease.

  




If one risk factor is bad, are two worse ? They are in fact risk factors can reinforce each other, acting synergistically to fuel the flames of atherosclerosis.

All in all, researchers have proposed more than 200 laboratories and physical characterises as cardiac risk factors. Many are unimportant, but some will withstand further scrutiny and prove valid.

If you have two or more risk factors, you should be especially careful to avoid or reduce others. And if you are a man, you are starting with one strike against you.
 
BY

GEETA JHA

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