On January 18, at the Minden Lions Club’s midday meeting, Dr. Magdy Hanna, an interventional cardiologist at Minden Medical Center, gave a presentation on cardiovascular health.
Egyptian-born physician Dr. Hanna talked about his background in medicine, including his time at Ross School of Medicine and his residency at St. John in Detroit. His training includes an interventional cardiology residency at Ascension St. John in Detroit in 2021 and a cardiovascular fellowship at LSU Shreveport. He joined Minden Medical Center in September 2023, providing general cardiology prevention, treatment, and intervention for a range of cardiological disorders, following two years of successful practice in Alexandria, Louisiana.
In response to inquiries from the audience, Dr. Hanna emphasized the effects of sugar, oil, and salt on cardiovascular health. He made it clear that although table salt in food is safe, hidden sodium in processed foods is dangerous. He issued a warning about the connection between refined carbs’ sugar content and the dangers of insulin resistance, type II diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.
Dr. Hanna saw a worrisome increase in youth heart attacks as a result of childhood obesity. During his fellowship, he related the story of an eighteen-year-old patient who suffered a catastrophic heart attack, highlighting the unexpected nature of such instances.
Dr. Hanna stated, “We had an 18-year-old come in with a catastrophic heart attack during my fellowship. “My colleague could not believe that an eighteen-year-old could have a heart attack, so she repeated the EKG seven times.” I would have followed suit.
Dr. Hanna brought up professional players’ “athletic heart” when talking about the extremes. Like any other muscle, the heart enlarges as a result of overtraining. The heart may not have a cavity big enough for the blood to fill to prevent it from collapsing if the heart muscle becomes very thick. According to Dr. Hanna, “you increase the risk of going into bad rhythms that can be fatal.”
He exhorted the audience to put their cardiovascular health first by abstaining from smoking, eating a balanced diet, exercising frequently, and getting regular exams.
The Minden Lions Club meets every Thursday at noon at the American Legion Memorial Hall, located at 119 W. Pine St. in downtown Minden. The club is well-known for its entertaining speaker series.
