World heart day : Heart disease a major concern worldwide: WHO

नेपाली

Nepalis living stressful lives sans healthy diet’

The increasing trend of eating junk foods, the excessive use of tobacco and stressful lifestyles led by people are leading to increased instances of heart diseases and thus shortening life spans, the global health body, World Health Organisation (WHO), said.

In two decades, the number of heart patients have gone up by five times in the country, yet little has been done to reduce the threat posed by heart diseases.

Globally, heart disease threatens to be the number one killer disease by 2020, according to the World Health Organisation but nothing has been done to minimise the threat.

Even though 80 per cent of premature heart attacks and strokes are preventable just by controlling three major risk factors — diet, physical activity and tobacco use — it has been highly ignored.

“Just a little disciplined lifestyle could do wonders,” said Dr Abani Bhusan Upadhyaya, president of Nepal Heart Foundation (NHF).

He said if parents could check the eating habits of their children from a very early age, the increasing rate of deaths due to heart diseases could be checked.

“The lifestyles of Nepalis are changing so much that they are living very stressful lives with very less physical exercise and lack of healthy diet which are the major reasons for heart diseases,” said Dr Upadhyaya.

“The negligence of sore throat alone could lead to heart disease that demands very expensive treatment,” said Dr Upahyaya.

The theme of World Heart Day (WHD) tomorrow is ‘How young is your Heart’.
Of the total heart patients admitted in the hospitals across the country, 40 per cent have coronary heart disease, 28 per cent Rheumatic heart disease, 29 per cent for high blood pressure, according to the various studies conducted by Nepal Heart Foundation and the Ministry of Health and Population.

Besides that, Cardiomiopathy caused due to excessive alcohol consumption is an increasing trend these days.

Five years ago, around six people of 1,000 population were reported suffering from Cardiomiopathy, while it has gone up to 20 people of every 1,000 of the population.

Of the targeted 18,000, the number reached 56,792 in the Out Patient Department of Sahid Gangalal Heart National Center (SGHNC) and In-Patient Department in 2005, while 41,274 patients visited the hospital for treatment of the targeted number 17,000 in 2004.

Regular exercise can reduce the risk of strokes by over 25
per cent and the risk of coronary heart diseases by over 40 per cent.
Incredibly, the hearts of veteran athletes aged 50-70 have been found to be as strong and healthy as those of an inactive 20 year-old, according to World Heart Federation.

“Timely intervention and awareness about the disease could save the lives of many,” said Dr Bhagwan Koirala, executive director of Sahid Gangalal Heart National Center.

He said that the hospital is planning to provide medical services at minimal cost to the needy people.

Heart disease is considered as one of the most expensive one starting from a minimum of Rs 15,000 for close heart surgery in government hospital, while it costs Rs 50,000 for the same in a private hospital.

The expense for changing a pace maker is Rs 1,15000 in a government hospital, while it comes to around Rs 1 lakh 50,000 in a private hospital, according to the Nepal Heart Foundation.

Dr Nirakar Man Shrestha, focal person of Non-Communicable Disease prevention and control unit, said the government has started providing penicillin to such patients to check rheumatic heart diseases along with introducing a package of free treatment for children under 15.

For rheumatic heart disease, the government has provided Rs 30 lakh as token money for penicillin.

Situation of Kathmanduites :

High blood pressure: 20 per cent adult population
Diabetes: 3 per cent
Coronary heart disease: 5 per cent adult (40 years and above)
Smoking: around 50 per cent population
Around 15 per cent of the total population suffering from heart disease
Coronary heart disease: 5 per cent
Congenital heart disease: 1.2 per 1,000 children
Rheumatic heart disease: 1.3 per 1,000 children

- THT Online, Renu Kshetry

नेपाली

The World Health Organization warns of the rising threat of heart disease and stroke as overweight and obesity rapidly increase

Keystone
Regular physical activity reduces body weight and helps to prevent cardiovascular disease

22 SEPTEMBER 2005 | GENEVA -- The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that over one billion people are overweight globally, and that if current trends continue, that number will increase to 1.5 billion by 2015. This warning comes in advance of World Heart Day on 25 September.

Overweight and obesity are important risk factors for cardiovascular disease, which is the number one cause of death and accounts for over 17 million deaths every year. Once considered a problem only in wealthy countries, WHO estimates show that overweight and obesity are now dramatically on the rise in low and middle income countries. This is due to a number of factors, including a global shift in diet towards increased energy, fat, salt and sugar intake, and a trend towards decreased physical activity due to the sedentary nature of modern work and transportation, and increasing urbanisation.

According to WHO estimates, more than 75% of women over the age of 30 are now overweight in countries as diverse as Barbados, Egypt, Malta, Mexico, South Africa, Turkey, and the United States. Estimates are similar for men, with over 75% now overweight in, for example, Argentina, Germany, Greece, Kuwait, New Zealand, Samoa, and the United Kingdom. Notably, the Western Pacific islands of Nauru and Tonga have the highest global prevalence of overweight where nine out of every 10 adults are overweight.

“The sheer magnitude of the overweight and obesity problem is staggering,” said Dr Catherine Le-Galès Camus, WHO Assistant Director-General of Noncommunicable Diseases and Mental Health. “The rapid increase of overweight and obesity in many low and middle income countries foretells an overwhelming chronic disease burden in these countries in the next 10 to 20 years, if action is not taken now.”

Raised body mass index is a major risk factor for heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and other chronic diseases. WHO estimates that over the next ten years, cardiovascular disease – primarily heart disease and stroke - will increase most notably in the regions of the Eastern Mediterranean and Africa, where cardiovascular disease-related deaths are predicted to rise by over 25%.

WHO welcomes and supports this year’s World Heart Day, taking place on Sunday, 25 September 2005, which draws attention to this problem and focus on the importance of maintaining Healthy Weight, Healthy Shape.

“The real tragedy is that overweight and obesity, and their related chronic diseases, are largely preventable,” said Dr Robert Beaglehole, WHO Director of Chronic Diseases and Health Promotion. "Approximately 80% of heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes, and 40% of cancer could be avoided through healthy diet, regular physical activity and avoidance of tobacco use."

The WHO Global Strategy on Diet, Physical Activity and Health and the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control describe the actions needed to reduce tobacco use and support the adoption of healthy diets and regular physical activity.

Additional important risk factors, disability, death and economic projections for heart disease, stroke and other chronic diseases will be released by the World Health Organization in its forthcoming publication, Preventing Chronic Diseases: A Vital Investment, due to be launched later this year. The report will present the latest scientific information and make the case for urgent action to turn back the growing global threat of chronic diseases.

Note to Editors

Overweight is defined as body mass index ≥ 25; Obesity is defined as body mass index ≥ 30. Body mass index (BMI) = [Weight in kilograms ÷ Height in cm ÷ Height in cm] x 10 000

- World Health Organization Geneva