In a global context, the top three fatal diseases for human beings are: cardiovascular disease, cerebrovascular disease and malignancy. The cardiovascular disease is common and frequently occurring, and also a main killer of human beings. The common cardiovascular diseases are hypertension, arrhythmia and coronary heart disease etc, among which, coronary heart disease is the most common cause of sudden cardiac death.

Among coronary heart disease-caused deaths, 50%-60% belong to sudden death which refers to an accidental death that occurs instantly or within 1 hour from the initiation of the symptom. The direct lethal mechanism for most sudden cardiac deaths is ventricular fibrillation. The risk factors of sudden cardiac deaths mainly include: excessive smoking, hypertension, cardiac hypertrophy, over-obesity and overstrained lifestyle. Hence, the prevention of sudden cardiac deaths should be strengthened in the following aspects:

1. Periodic Physical Examination: Cardiovascular diseases and sudden cardiac deaths may very often happen to the people who appear to be healthy, particularly to those middle-aged persons who have organic diseases with no evident symptoms; therefore. Thus, both heart disease patients and healthy people should regularly undertake physical examination.

2. Abstaining From Smoking: The harms of smoking are known to everyone. The incidence of coronary heart disease among smokers is 3.6 times higher than that among non-smokers. The synergistic effects between smoking and some other risk factors, such as hypertension and high cholesterol level, may dramatically increase the incidence of coronary heart disease.

3. A Balanced Diet: Choose high-protein and digestible foods, such as fish, chicken, milk and soybean etc; as for edible oil, some plant oil like peanut oil, rape seed oil, and corn oil etc, are preferred; keep frequent ingestion of coarse grains and vegetables that are rich in food fibers; increase vitamin intake; have more fresh vegetables and fruits; control the intake of sweets; keep a low salt diet; reduce the intake of fried, smoked, baked and pickled foods; prevent over-eating.

4. Weight Control: Prevent obesity. Obesity may impose adverse burden upon the cardiovascular system. Statistics show that 5 kilogram-overweight may elevate the pressure upon the heart by 10%.

5. Actively Seek Treatments for the Existing Diseases: such as hypertension, coronary heart disease, and so on.

6. Prevent Mental Overstraining: Overstrained mental state may enhance blood pressure, increase the burden upon the heart and induce arrhythmia. Agitation may easily induce coronary disease and some other heart disease events, and may even effectuate myocardial infarction incidents in the elderly who have already suffered from cardiovascular diseases. Hence, it is necessary to make self-adjustments and relax under stress strains.

7. Maintain a Discipline Lifestyle: a discipline lifestyle means to get up, have meals and turn in on a regular schedule everyday, undertake appropriate exercises, work and rest proportionally and keep a good hygienic habit.

8. Appropriate Amount of Exercise: proper physical exercise may improve cardiovascular functions, and facilitate blood circulation and micro-circulation. Walking is the simplest and safe exercise, which can strengthen systole, increase heartbeat rate, accelerate blood flow, and enhance the amount of blood flow in coronary artery, all of which will, in turn, adjust the body to meet the demands of walking. Thus, walking is indeed a kind of exercise for the heart.

9. Others: thermal protection against cold; Keep bowels open.

  According to related statistics, around one-fourth of the patients dying from sudden cardiac deaths suffer from angina pectoris, palpitation, breathing difficulty or have a feeling of over-fatigue. Therefore, as long as we can pay attention to the symptoms and body signs that may occur in the early stage of sudden cardiac death, undertake regular physical examination, and seriously implement the principles of “early detection, early diagnosis and early treatment”, we can certainly achieve better treatment results and save the lives of some patients.