Acute coronary syndrome (ACS), which is typically associated with hypertension, hyperlipidemia and hyperglycemia, is being increasingly reported in young people due to factors such as stress, staying up late, smoking and drug abuse, the Taiwan Society of Cardiology said.
ACS, the umbrella term for conditions whereby the heart’s blood supply is suddenly blocked, includes the more commonly known conditions of heart attacks and angina.
The organization, which is holding its annual convention this weekend, also said that patients who have experienced myocardial infarctions, or heart attacks, no matter what the cause, would require long-term anti-platelet therapy, which has seen major breakthroughs with new, faster-acting drugs leading to fewer deaths from heart attacks.
Taiwan Society of Cardiology secretary-general Yin Wei-hsian (殷偉賢) said that 60 percent of patients who suffer strokes and heart attacks are exposed to similar risk factors, and those with a first-degree male relative who has suffered a heart attack before the age of 55, or a first-degree female relative having one before the age of 65 are also at high risk of developing heart disease.
People in these high-risk groups should regularly have their blood pressure and blood lipid levels checked, Yin said.
Cardiologists are also reporting an increase in cases of coronary artery spasm, a kind of myocardial infarction, with a particularly high incidence rate in middle-aged women, the society said.
“The causes of heart attacks or coronary artery spasms in comparatively young people are very different from typical cases of myocardial infarction,” said attending physician Chen Jaw-wen (陳肇文) of the Cardiology Division at Taipei Veterans General Hospital.
“Constant stimulation from stress, long-term sleep deprivation, smoking and alcohol and drug abuse can result in a sudden narrowing of one of the coronary arteries,” Chen added.
Yin said that patients who have experienced a heart attack, be it caused by the “three highs” — hypertension, hyperlipidemia and hyperglycemia — or by artery spasms, require anti-platelet medications to prevent blood clots.
“The new drug ticagrelor has been found to work more consistently across a variety of groups. Treatment with clopidogrel, the previous drug used, has no effect on 30 percent of patients. Reduced metabolism of clopidogrel, for example, is common in Asian people,” said Andrew Wilson, associate professor of the department of Cardiology at the University of Melbourne, who was a speaker at the conference.
“The new drug will be available and covered by National Health Insurance from next month,” Yin said.
Three batches of banana sauce imported from the Philippines were intercepted at the border after they were found to contain the banned industrial dye Orange G, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said yesterday. From today through Sept. 2 next year, all seasoning sauces from the Philippines are to be subject to the FDA’s strictest border inspection, meaning 100 percent testing for illegal dyes before entry is allowed, it said in a statement. Orange G is an industrial coloring agent that is not permitted for food use in Taiwan or internationally, said Cheng Wei-chih (鄭維智), head of the FDA’s Northern Center for
The Chinese military has built landing bridge ships designed to expand its amphibious options for a potential assault on Taiwan, but their combat effectiveness is limited due to their high vulnerability, a defense expert said in an analysis published on Monday. Shen Ming-shih (沈明室), a research fellow at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said that the deployment of such vessels as part of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy’s East Sea Fleet signals a strong focus on Taiwan. However, the ships are highly vulnerable to precision strikes, which means they could be destroyed before they achieve their intended
LOOKING NORTH: The base would enhance the military’s awareness of activities in the Bashi Channel, which China Coast Guard ships have been frequenting, an expert said The Philippine Navy on Thursday last week inaugurated a forward operating base in the country’s northern most province of Batanes, which at 185km from Taiwan would be strategically important in a military conflict in the Taiwan Strait. The Philippine Daily Inquirer quoted Northern Luzon Command Commander Lieutenant General Fernyl Buca as saying that the base in Mahatao would bolster the country’s northern defenses and response capabilities. The base is also a response to the “irregular presence this month of armed” of China Coast Guard vessels frequenting the Bashi Channel in the Luzon Strait just south of Taiwan, the paper reported, citing a
About 4.2 million tourist arrivals were recorded in the first half of this year, a 10 percent increase from the same period last year, the Tourism Administration said yesterday. The growth continues to be consistent, with the fourth quarter of this year expected to be the peak in Taiwan, the agency said, adding that it plans to promote Taiwan overseas via partnerships and major events. From January to June, 9.14 million international departures were recorded from Taiwan, an 11 percent increase from the same period last year, with 3.3 million headed for Japan, 1.52 million for China and 832,962 to South Korea,
RSS