World Heart Day

September 29, 2016

Human Heart Anatomy

This world heart day know some facts:

Heart disease or cardiovascular diseases (CVD) is number 1 cause of death worldwide.

It has caused 31% global deaths.

The four leading cause of deaths are:

  • CVD —Over 17 million deaths annually
  • Cancers — 8.2 million
  • Respiratory diseases —4 million
  • Diabetes —1.5 million

Low and middle-income countries most affected by CVD deaths ( account for 80% of CVD deaths worldwide – unfortunate inequality), both in men and women.

On an average, Indians suffer from heart disease about a decade before their western counterparts.

Ageing populations + urbanisation + inadequate prevention = cardiovascular epidemic

The commonest causes of heart disease are as follows:

  • Hypertension
  • Diabetes
  • Smoking (15% – Indian population that smokes tobacco)
  • Obesity
  • Cholesterol
  • Physical inactivity
  • Alcohol consumption

How Can You Avoid Heart Disease?

Prevention is our best chance

  1. Stop smoking. Not only will it prevent heart disease, it will also cut down the chances of cancer , stroke, and respiratory disease
  2. Watch what you eat – avoid fatty food. Don’t eat fast food or food with oil, high level of salt or sugar. Eat a high-fiber diet , rich in fruits & nuts
  3. Stop consuming alcohol – this will prevent heart disease and high blood pressure
  4. Get active – exercise daily. do brisk walking daily for at least for half an hour every day
  5. Get yourself checked for high blood pressure. If you have a high BP , control it by lifestyle modification and properly guided medication
  6. Get yourself checked for high sugar levels/ diabetes. If you have diabetes, control it by lifestyle modification and properly guided medication. After the age of 20, everybody should get their sugar checked at least 5 yearly.
  7. Get yourself for high cholesterol and manage it by lifestyle modification. Medications can be used for cholesterol reduction if this doesn’t help.
  8. It is difficult to manage and cure heart disease, so the best thing is prevention. In case you do have symptoms of heart disease- in the form of breathlessness, chest pain, cough, high/uncontrolled BP or high blood sugar –contact your nearest physician at the earliest.