My Life at 9200 rpm's: Undetected Heart Disease in U.S. Soldiers, LVADs, and the road not taken

Heart disease has been called the silent killer.  One of the reasons is that a person with the condition might not show any symptoms and would be unaware of the danger lurking in the form of plaque in arteries, particularly the coronary arteries, which supply blood to the heart muscle itself.  Heart disease kills about 600,000 Americans each year, accounting for about one of four deaths.  

A recent study of U.S. service members deaths in Iraq and Afghanistan, reported by Reuters and carried on the Fox News website, showed that nine per cent of the 3,832.  That is more than 1 in 12 military members.  

The study covered men and women deployed for service in the Operation Iraqi Freedom/New Dawn and Operation Enduring Freedom between October 2001 and August 2011.  The lead investigator, a physician, is from the Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD.

The autopsies were originally performed to give the families of the service members a complete picture of the cause of death for their loved ones.

Not all were combat casualties. Some fatalities were caused by unintentional injuries. Ninety eight percent were male and two percent were female. 

The most interesting aspect of the study was that none of the 3,832 individuals was diagnosed with heart disease before deployment to the war zones.  Routine pre-deployment medical exams found nothing to worry about heart  wise. The average age of those in the study was 26. 

But the study gives some insight into the overall general heart health of our young, physically fit soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines.  Of the 3,832 cases, about 9 percent or about 331 individuals showed signs of plaque build up in the coronary arteries. The study found that about 25 percent of the 331 personnel had artery buildup that was labeled severe.

One drawback to such a study is that it deals with a select group that may not be representative of the population as a whole because the military is all volunteer.  Earlier studies involved individuals who were subject to the Selective Service draft. Below is a link to the story.
http://www.foxnews.com/health/2012/12/26/1-in-12-in-military-has-clogged-heart-arteries/

What this study tells me is that even without symptoms, high cholesterol can lead to narrowing of the coronary arteries.  By the time of a stroke or a heart attack, it may be too late to treat. 

Speaking from experience, heart conditions can kill you and you don't even know you've got the condition. I did not recognize what I had.  It was congestive heart failure and it had a good hold on me. 

I did not know  exactly what symptoms I should be aware of but I did not pay attention to the symptoms I was having: wheezing, shortness of breath, fatigue, among others. 

I'm certain there were many signs I missed, all of which worsened over a several month period.  When my health deteriorated and I hit the wall, I was as surprised to learn that I had end stage congestive heart failure. 

It took being close to my last hours on the planet before I accepted my condition.  In my condition, choices are limited. There was nothing I could do about it.  Acceptance was the only option. Now I have a mechanical circulatory support system and it has made all the difference.

My HeartMate II LVAD has allowed me to take the road less traveled by.  And that has made all the difference.