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Her Heart was Telling Her SomethingPay attention. It’s trying to tell you something.
"Take Your Health Seriously"That’s what Diane Chernaskey (right) tells other women, following her treatment for tachycardia. Here, she and son Matt help daughter Tara pack for college. Chernasky has learned to make time in her busy schedule for regular exercise.
Don't Skip Your Flu Shot Whatever your age, make sure you don’t make the same mistake. Having a chronic illness such as heart disease raises your risk for flu-related complications, and there’s evidence that flu may precipitate a heart attack. But like most women, Chernaskey, 45, ignored signs that something could be wrong with her heart. She attributed her exhaustion, irritability and sudden irregular heartbeat to the stress of caring for her active family. Then in July 2003, she collapsed and went to the emergency department. “My heart was racing, and I couldn’t talk,” she says. Tests revealed that Chernaskey had tachycardia, a malformation of the heart. “People are born with the condition, but don’t realize it until the rapid heartbeat occurs,” says cardiol-ogist Robert Malacoff, M.D., of Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network. That can be triggered by too much caffeine, a boost in adrenalin from exercise, and even just being startled. Researchers don’t know why, but tachycardia is more common in women and younger adults. Chernaskey was born with an extra electrical pathway between her upper and lower heart chambers that caused a “short circuit” and made her heart work overtime—183 beats a minute, compared with a normal rate of 70. Her family doctor prescribed medication, and it solved the problem until she had another episode a year later. Malacoff recommended ablation, a common procedure to treat tachycardia (see illustration at bottom). The specialist locates where the fast beat originates and uses high-frequency current to destroy that small area. “Ablation is successful in more than 95 percent of cases, and complications are rare,” Malacoff says. “Diane’s alter-native was daily medication for the rest of her life—and she still would have faced the possibility of another episode.” A different type of fast heartbeatAtrial fibrillation, unlike tachycardia, isn’t present at birth but develops over time. The heart’s two upper chambers flutter irregularly at 300 beats a minute. The condition becomes more common with age, affecting 1 in 10 Americans ages 65 to 85. High blood pressure and diabetes also raise your risk.“If you’re having palpitations, don’t ignore them,” Malacoff says. “Those brief episodes could lead to blood clots in the heart. If a clot goes to your brain, you could have a stroke.” Treatments for atrial fibrillation vary with age. In younger people, medication and defibrillation (mild electric shock) are used to return the heartbeat to normal, and ablation techniques are coming into use. Older patients more often are treated with medication alone, including beta blockers to correct the heartbeat and warfarin (Coumadin) to prevent blood clots. “Talk to your doctor right away or go to the emergency room if you feel your heart is beating too fast,” Malacoff says. Chernaskey agrees. “Women, especially, need to recognize that if they don’t feel normal, something may be wrong,” she says. “Take your health seriously, talk to your doctor and ask questions.” Today, she feels like a new woman. While she’s still a busy mother, she’s learned to make time for her own needs as well.
Want to Know More about the symptoms and risk factors for heart disease? Call 610-402-CARE for more information. This page last updated 10/27/08 05:57 PM
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