My mum has CHD, how long can she live?

Question

My mum has just developed Coronary Heart Disease ( they witnessed the changes through regular ECG's) She has had meds prescribed. She also has ME and hereditary high cholesterol. With treatment how long could she live for? will her lifespan be significantly reduced by this disease?

Answer 1

I was diagnosed with CHD when I was 46 and I am now 61. I have had angioplasty, quadruple bypass surgery and a stent inserted. I am doing fine and my life expectency is probably the same as someone without the disease as long as I follow the doctors orders and take my medications. Hope this helps ease your mind.

Answer 2

She could live for many, many years unless they (doctors) put her on to beta-blockers. These will significantly shorten her life. If she's already on them, she would be wise to decline to take them on any regular basis. But she MUSN'T stop taking them suddenly, as this produces a "bounce", and she should take them at longer and longer intervals and in smaller doses until she's completely off them. She'll notice an immediate vast improvement in her "tiredness", etc. that are characteristic of slowing down the pulse rate, (which is what beta blockers do).

Most doctors think that slowing the pulse rate is beneficial. It isn't, and in cases of cardiac function impairment actually drives the patient further towards incipient failure.

It depends how sensibly she's prepared to live out the rest of her life too, of course. There are many, many medications which are beneficial in the treatment of CHD. Most are good.

By the end of your lifetime you will see the end of the use of beta blockers in the treatment of CHD, Hypertension, et al.

IDHGUY - Look at my profile. What's yours? Are you shy?

I too have had major triple bypass graft, after heart attack in 1992. But I decided to research it, and make decisions on the basis of fact, not 'evidence'.

Answer 3

I hope u know ur stuff Mr. TICH because u say u r cardiovascular physicist. Beta Blockers Are Scientifically Proven To Cause Decrease In Mortality Rate. how can u say to discontinue the beta blockers without knowing whether the patient in this case has a systolic dysfunction or diastolic dysfuction.

Answer 4

This research article from Seventh Day Adventist Hospital will help you out:

Abstract

PURPOSE: To evaluate age-specific life expectancy free from Cardiovascular Heart Disease (CHD) and the death rate from heart disease from 1960 to 1988 for males and females in the Adventist Mortality Study (AMS) (n = 27517) and the Adventist Health Study (AHS) (n = 34192) combined. The data are used to model life expectancy free from subsequent CHD using the Lee-Carter model. Differences in life expectancy free from CHD are explored among subgroups with different life styles. The life styles considered included physical inactivity, diet, smoking status, and educational level. Subjects with a healthy lifestyle showed a higher life expectancy.

METHODS: We used the abridged life table to calculate life expectancy free from CHD for persons ages 30–49 years old and those in each ten-year age interval up to age 90 from 1960 to 1988. We used the Lee-Carter method to model life expectancy free from CHD in the future. We also used the Multivariate Multiple Decrement Life Table Analysis Program (MMDLP) to calculate life expectancies after adjusting for confounders. The model is basically non-parametric except for a proportional hazard assumption, and the time variable is attained age. We also modeled life expectancies using linear regression. Life expectancy in subjects with CHD was also explored.

RESULTS: For all age groups, the life expectancy free from CHD increased linearly from 1960 to 1988. For males, life expectancy was 15.77 years for subjects 60–69 years in 1960 versus 19.73 in 1988. For males 80-89 years of age, life expectancy was 6.04 years in 1960 versus 6.31 in the year 1988. The death rate from CHD decreased from 0.03288 in 1960 to 0.01491 in 1988 for males 60–69 years of age and from 0.14483 in 1960 to 0.132 in 1988 for males 80–89 years of age. For females 60–69 years of age, the life expectancy free from CHD increased from 16.79 in 1960 to 27.03 in the year 1988. For females 80–89 years of age, it increased from 5.46 in 1960 to 11.3 in 1988. For females 60–69 years old, the death rate from CHD decreased from 0.025 in 1960 to 0.00688 in 1988, and for females 80–89 years of age, the rate decreased from 0.16667 in 1960 to 0.05471 in 1988.

CONCLUSION: Even in the oldest old (90+ for males and females), there is an increase in life expectancy free from CHD and decrease in death rate from 1960 to 1988. The negative intercept on the regression lines may indicate that the life expectancy free from CHD did not always increased linearly prior to 1960.