When John Currison woke up in the middle of the night unable to catch his breath, he thought his last moments had come. He managed to get downstairs and opened the door to try and breathe, which helped him slightly, but he knew that something was not right and decided to get to the hospital. “I had no idea what was going on because I was in no pain whatsoever, “ says John.

“I was in hospital for a week. They then sent me to the Heart Health Centre for further tests.” After a series of tests and consultations, John was told that he had a blocked artery and a heart valve that needs treatment. “The cardiologist at the Heart Health Centre told me that I had been very lucky that I had not had a heart attack and that I had no damage to the heart.

That was three months ago. Now John is on several pills a day to keep his condition under control. John’s story is unfortunately all too common. Heart disease is the number one worldwide killer of both men and women. Jodie Kelley, education and programmes coordinator at the Heart Health Centre says, “Cardiovascular disease describes a range of conditions that affect your heart and blood vessels. It includes arrhythmias or abnormal rhythms of the heart which can affect how the heart works; heart failure or the inability of the heart to pump as well as it should; congenital heart defect or a defect of the heart you were born with; alvular heart disease or conditions that affect the valves of the heart; and coronary artery disease or a build-up of fatty deposits (atherosclerosis) in the arteries that supply blood to the heart.

John knows that he was lucky that he did not have a heart attack, since a complete blockage of an artery can cause one. “When these blood vessels become diseased or damaged, usually by a build-up of fatty deposits called plaques, eventually diminished blood flow to the heart will occur,” Kelley says. The diminished blood flow to the heart may in turn cause a condition known as angina. Kelley says “a complete blockage, either from accumulated or ruptured plaques, may cause a heart attack. Buildup of plaques can also occur in the arteries leading to the brain and a blockage to that area may result in a stroke.”

The factors that can cause formation of plaques and atherosclerosis are high cholesterol; in particular, high levels of LDL (“bad cholesterol”) and high blood pressure, which can result in hardening and thickening of the arteries, narrowing the blood vessels in which blood can flow. John had both high cholesterol and high blood pressure.

Looking back on his lifestyle now, John knows at least one factor that probably contributed to his current condition. “I have smoked since I was a young man at sea and I am now 72. I have now stopped and I would tell anyone else to do the same.’

Kelley reinforces John’s advice tenfold. “Smokers’ risk of developing coronary artery disease is 2-4 times that of non-smokers. Nicotine constricts blood vessels and forces your heart to work harder while carbon monoxide reduces oxygen in your blood and damages the lining of your blood vessels.”

Taking charge of your diet, getting regular exercise and not smoking are things you can do to help prevent heart disease, but it is also vital to have regular cholesterol and blood pressure tests, since many people can have these danger factors without realising it.

At the Heart Health Centre, they believe that if people are aware of their risk factors then they can be empowered to get to their optimum health through both medical help and lifestyle changes. They offer a range of services, such as cholesterol and blood pressure tests, advise on a healthy lifestyle and provide procedures, such as EKGs, stress testing, and echocardiograms.

To help control his condition, John now takes several tablets a day, and besides giving up smoking, he  has also changed his diet “I was a great meat man and never ate fruit. Now I am doubling up on the fish I eat, eating more vegetables and have cut out white bread.”

John is now feeling in better health, though he still has to go through treatment for a damaged heart valve. He is just grateful that the effects were not worse. “I feel extremely lucky when I realise what could have happened to me - that I could have had a heart attack and damaged my heart.”