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Heart disease is more common than you think.
According to the Singapore Heart Foundation, 21 people die from heart diseases and strokes every day.
To put that number in perspective, this means almost one in three deaths in Singapore in 2021 was due to cardiovascular related diseases.
This phenomenon isn’t only happening here—the World Health Organisation states that cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death around the world.
So, what can we do to lower our risk of getting heart disease?
Mothership spoke to Khoo Chun Yuan, a consultant at the Department of Cardiology of National Heart Centre Singapore (NHCS) to find out.
What leads to a higher risk of having heart diseases?
Khoo noted that lifestyle habits and existing medical conditions are among the contributing factors.
Undesirable lifestyle habits such as:
- Lack of physical activity
- Unhealthy diet
- Smoking
- Excessive alcohol consumption
Existing medical conditions, including:
- High blood pressure
- Unhealthy cholesterol levels
- Obesity
- Diabetes
Diving deeper
While heart diseases in general are widely discussed, what you might not know is that there are uncommon types of heart diseases which are under-diagnosed in Singapore.
Among these conditions is Transthyretin Amyloid Cardiomyopathy (ATTR-CM), which is the thickening and stiffening of the heart muscles.
This occurs when a protein called transthyretin (TTR) becomes abnormal and accumulates on the heart muscles.
ATTR-CM causes a patient’s heart to become stiff and thick, and unable to pump blood as efficiently.
Khoo explained that under-diagnosis of ATTR-CM can be attributed partly to the fact that the symptoms, such as breathlessness, leg swelling and feeling fatigued, can be similar to other more common types of heart diseases.
On top of that, there is no specific tell-tale symptom to aid doctors in diagnosing the condition.
Not all is lost, however, as there are clues which doctors can pick up to increase suspicion for ATTR-CM.
For example, a patient may experience numbness in their hands or feet, have frothy urine, or have unexplained weight loss.
This is caused by the abnormal TTR protein depositing on the nerves, tendon, kidneys or intestines.
Patients sharing their family medical history with doctors is also important, as ATTR-CM can be hereditary.
With such clues, along with the results from electrocardiograms and heart scan imaging, doctors can then perform confirmatory tests on the patient if there is sufficient reason to suspect a patient has ATTR-CM.
Early detection is key
As ATTR-CM is a condition which worsens over time, Khoo stressed the importance of early diagnosis and treatment.
She shared that about 90 per cent of patients who are diagnosed with ATTR-CM before developing heart failure will live past three years.
The number falls to about 50 per cent for those who are diagnosed after developing heart failure.
Those with more severe heart failure were found to have lower survival rates.
Khoo said that effective treatment of ATTR-CM is currently available in Singapore.
What should I do if I think I have ATTR-CM?
Khoo confirmed that there have been instances where patients have had delayed diagnoses of ATTR-CM.
However, she hopes that instances of this happening will decrease after increased awareness of ATTR-CM, and the increasing availability of diagnostic imaging.
She advised those who suspect they may have the condition to seek medical advice from their managing physician, as the latter will be able to refer them to heart specialists, or perform diagnostic tests, if required.
What should I do if I’m worried about heart disease running in the family?
While it is not known how common it is to have the hereditary type of ATTR-CM, Khoo assured that there are tests available to find out what type of ATTR-CM a patient has.
A specialised genetic test can be performed to determine the condition type.
If it has been determined that it is a genetic mutation, first degree family members can choose to screen themselves for the same mutation.
First degree family members refer to an individual’s parents, siblings, and children.
To learn more about ATTR-CM, visit mattroftheheart.sg to create a personalised guide to prepare for a conversation with your cardiologist.
This is a sponsored article brought to you by Pfizer Singapore.
