How your own lifestyle can protect you from a new heart attack

Permanently changed lifestyles: long-term prevention protects against a new heart attack

The severe cold in recent weeks was accompanied by health experts with a high risk of heart attack. Anyone who has ever had a myocardial infarction usually needs to make their lifestyle healthier in the long term. Unfortunately, many sufferers return to the old unhealthy lifestyle after some time. Experts explain how heart attack patients can be motivated to live a healthy life in the long term.

Patients often return quickly to unhealthy lifestyle habits

Every year around 300,000 people in Germany suffer a heart attack (myocardial infarction). In the acute case, fast action is necessary. Because a timely diagnosis saves lives. After a heart attack, it is usually important that sufferers not only take medication, but also change their lifestyle and, for example, move more, eat healthier and renounce alcohol and tobacco. Unfortunately, many patients do not stick to such recommendations on a permanent basis and soon return to their unhealthy lifestyles. Experts now report how those affected can better motivate.

After a heart attack, sufferers not only need to take medicines, but also make their lifestyle healthier. Unfortunately, many patients do not hold this up. Experts explain how patients can be better motivated. (Image: Kzenon / fotolia.com)

Only motivated for a short time

Anyone who has suffered a heart attack and wants to quickly find their way back to work and to be fully present for their family again, has to use the help of rehabilitation to change their lifestyle, writes the German Heart Foundation in a statement.

Those affected should not smoke, move well and eat healthily. But rehabilitation specialists complain that the effects of rehabilitation in many patients only have a limited effect.

"Many patients are only motivated for a short time to improve their risk factors after a heart attack, but a few months later it comes back to the old unhealthy living habits. This increases the risk of a renewed myocardial infarction ", says Prof. Dr. med. med. Harm Wienbergen, head of the IPP study ("Intensive Prevention Program after Acute Myocardial Infarction in Northwest Germany").

The study, Wienbergen together with Prof. Dr. med. med. Rainer Hambrecht from the Bremen Institute for Cardiovascular Research (BIHKF) at the Klinikum Links der Weser has been initiated to help heart attack patients to keep their lifestyles healthy in the long term and not to fall back into the old rut.

After the acute treatment in the rehabilitation

According to data, more than 76,000 people with heart disease go into rehabilitation after acute treatment. About 80 percent of rehabilitation patients suffer from coronary heart disease (CHD).

The fight against the risk of heart attack and stroke such as high blood pressure, lipid metabolism disorders (high cholesterol), obesity (obesity) and diabetes is therefore at the forefront of cardiac rehabilitation.

The IPP study now looked at how to maintain or even improve the effects of cardiac rehabilitation in the long term.

Intensive prevention program

Results from the IPP study of 310 patients in total show that a long-term intensive prevention program with pedometers and telemedical observation, regular group training (once a month) and telephone contacts helps enormously to improve the physical activity and the cessation of cardiovascular risk factors and outcomes To improve the quality of life of patients after twelve months.

A key role is played by the medical prevention assistants, who coordinate the interdisciplinary cooperation between the clinic, family doctor and cardiologist, and maintain close contact with patients and relatives.

These assistants also made sure that the patient's family physicians were included in the treatment recommendations.

After twelve months over 10,000 steps a day

Endurance exercise in cardiac patients is important because it has positive effects u. a. on the perfusion of the heart and on the function of the endothelium, the inner layer with which blood vessels are lined.

The effectiveness of the intensive long-term prevention program was demonstrated in a substudy of the IPP study to increase patient movement. The IPP group was compared to a control group receiving only standard care.

79.5% of patients in the IPP group documented their steps, 69.7% for more than six months. Their number of steps increased on average from 8,073 steps per day at baseline to more than 9,500 steps at six months and more than 10,000 steps after twelve months.

In the patients who increased their daily pace by more than 30 percent within six months, in contrast to the control group, the body mass index (BMI) improved by an average of 3.9%, the blood pressure (decrease by 4, 9%) and the LDL cholesterol value (4.9% decrease).

"Acceptance of patients for pedometer and online documentation over a longer period has been good overall. Repeated training and the use of pedometers enabled patients to be significantly more active than control patients, "says Prof. Wienbergen.

"The study has shown us that the potential for long-term prevention in CHD patients is far from exhausted: after heart attacks, patients should be better connected with risk factor controls over the long term." (Ad)