Erroneous lifestyle responsible for heart disease, says expert

Bathinda, September 29

Sedentary lifestyle, in addition to stressful work conditions and a compromised diet are the leading factors in precipitating heart disease risk. As per a recent study conducted in 12 cities across the country, it has been found that the urban population of the country is at the risk of being diagnosed with cardiovascular disease, said Dr Gilbert Joseph, cardiac surgeon at Max Super Specialty Hospital, Bathinda, while addressing a conference on ‘The common Heart Ailments Prevalent in the State and Tips To Keep Your Heart Healthy’ here today. The conference was held to observe the World Heart Day.

He said, “Five years ago, cardiologists would hardly see young patients with heart problems. But now, it was fairly common to see youth in the age group of 25 to 35 suffering from heart strokes. The main reasons for this are erroneous lifestyle habits like smoking, alcohol dependence, excessive fast food consumption, etc,” he said.

Cardiologist Dr Sajaad Manzoor added that heart disease was the number one killer all over the world, with 80 per cent of the deaths happening in developing countries, India being one of them.

“Immediate care within the first hour of cardiac emergencies was crucial as almost 50 per cent deaths happen during this period, mostly due to unawareness and lack of timely care,” he said.

Association of Physicians of India (Malwa branch) and Cardiological Society of India (Punjab and Chandigarh chapter) organised a public awareness programme at Kishori Ram Hospital and Diabetes care centre on the occasion of World Heart Day.

Dr Vitull K Gupta, chairman, API Malwa branch, said decades of research has shown that air pollution, besides lungs, can also affect heart and trigger heart attacks, strokes and arrhythmias particularly in people already at risk.

He focussed on achieving an energy balance, healthy weight, limiting energy intake from total fats, shift from saturated to unsaturated fats, eliminating trans-fatty acids, increasing consumption of fruits, legumes vegetables, whole grains, nuts, limiting intake of simple sugar to less than 10 per cent and limiting salt and sodium consumption from all sources. — TNS