The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1935-05-17

also cause the heart
to grow old. The
heart of the individual around sixty
years of age is probably his most i'm
portant vital organ. The sudden seiz-
ure of pain in the left chest irradiatlng
| through the left shoulder down the
arm on the inner side with a sense Of
construction as If the chest we're held
! in wise, and along with this sense
of suffocation and feeling of impend-
ing death-these are the cardinal
| symptoms of angina pectoris.
Increased muscular effort usually Is
the exciting cause of these attacks, al
though sudden changes in weather
may bring them on. The attacks are
many times brought about by spasms
of the arteries which supply the heart
muscle with blood. The primary cause
is exhaustion of the heart muscle.
/ In previous articles, have discussed
| heart disease in relation to various age
/ groups, beginning with birth and ex-
/ tending to the middle age period De-
! formities of the heart at birth are re-
/ sponsible for the deaths chargeable to
the heart during the first year of life.
Then bacterial infections begin to play
an important part as causes of heart
disease. During the second decade of
| life, or adolescence, we find continu-
alton of these infections, but during
| the first twenty years there are rela-
as compared to the total span of life.
Of every 100 persons who die of heart
disease in Illinois, only one is in the
first decade of life, and only two are
| in the second decade. Between the
ages of twenty and thirty-five, the
death rate is four, and during the next
ten years, that is, thirty-five to forty
| five years, we find approximately six
deaths. AS we said before, SO per cent
| of the deaths from cardiac causes are
| in the age group past fOrty-five. The
same figures would generally hold true
| for the other states.
| This does not mean that infection of
! the heart is so much more prevalent
| among persons over forty-five years.
But it does mean that the wear and
tear on the heart, due to previous in
fections, has exceeded the limit COM
patible with the ordinary duties of life.
| Usually these older persons with heart
disease have had a history of minor
! impairment of the heart for several
| years.
heart attack should not lead One
to be pessimistic. 1t should be regard
ed rather as a red signal and request
| from a tired wOrnout heart muscle for
/ a much needed rest. One should not
become unduly excited, but should con-
| suit physician to determine just what
| the heart can endure so that it will not
! be overtaxed to the point where it stops
beating. Under intelligent and proper
| supervision, this right way of living
may mean only a slight change in the
daily routine, such as avoiding strenu-
Gus exercise or reducing the weight, or
| abstaining from tobacco, alcohol or
| such irritants.
1t may be that complete rest in bed
is the only solution, but this is sell
dom the case. An active, hard-work-
ing man or woman of fifty-five or sixty
may actually be damaged by forced
idleness in bed. The worry and Sleep
lessness will offset the value of such
rest. A gradual decrease in the work
ing hours combined with relief from
worries, sleeplessness and physical ex-
haustion will oftentimes do more to
rest the heart than will complete idle
ness. The treatment of heart disease,
however, is always individualistic and
must be carried out under the direction
of a physician who takes into consid-
GRAFTON all the factors involved.
Usually the older individual with
heart disease has in addition harden
ing of the arteries and often a def
cheney in kidney function. Now that
medical knowledge and an easier way
of living have increased our life ex-
pectancy to span of sixty years, the
first forty years are proving the
healthy years. After that we are like
ly to show wear and tear, and the de-
generative diseases, such as heart dis
I come real hazards. The blood vessels
of the brain may become so diseased
and weakened that they break and ap-
! Oplexy follows.
If we have damaged any of our i'm
portant organs in our younger years,
we are pretty apt to reap the results
in our older years when this organ has
reached the limits of its power of
adapting itself to the needs of the body.
The heart normally beats - times
minute, with rest period in between
each beat. If it beats more often, then
the rest period is correspondingly cur
tailed, and TO keep going the heart has
to call on its reserve strength. We are
born with just so much reserve force.
The person who uses his reserve before
forty-ive, may expect to watch his step
afterward.