This report compiles data for the first time on the far-reaching consequences of uncontrolled hypertension, including heart attacks, strokes and premature death, along with substantial economic losses
Of 98,908 deaths reg istered in 2006 in the national capital, nearly 10 per cent were due to heart ailments or heart attacks, a strong reason to believe that Delhiites need to change their lifestyle. According to the Economic Survey of Delhi, 2007-08, around 8,836 people died due to heart diseases, mainly been due to unhealthy lifestyles besides habits of eating food with high calories. Diabetes Mellitus, often dubbed as another lifestyle disease, claimed 5,296 lives.
India has the highest burden of acute coronary syndromes in the world, yet little is known about the treatments and outcomes of these diseases. The researchers aimed to document the characteristics, treatments, and outcomes of patients with acute coronary syndromes who were admitted to hospitals in India.
Although cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death worldwide, its epidemic shows remarkable geographic variation. While the mortality associated with cardio vascular dis ease seems to be declining in western Europe and North America, the burden of cardiovascular diseases in developing countries continues to rise and is expected to be a major cause of death in adults from low-income and middle-income countries worldwide.
Sudden Cardiac Death (SCD) is rare in children and is mainly due to congenital deformity or arrhythmic heart or short-circuiting of the heart. Doctors say stress, prolonged exposure to heat, fluid electrolyte imbalance can precipitate the risk of SCD. In such cases, a patient has to be given proper medical treatment within an hour.
Sudden Cardiac Death results from abrupt loss of heart function CAUSES Ventricular fibrillation | It is caused when heart is unable to pump blood due to short-circuiting in the lower chamber Arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia | A condition in which heart muscles are weak Ventricular tachycardia | It is a condition in which heart rhythm becomes very fast Hypertrophy cardiomyopathy | A condition in which heart muscles are very thick PRECAUTIONS Children should be carefully screened for any cardiac defects
Early diagnosis of a heart attack may now be possible using only a few drops of saliva and a new nano-bio-chip designed by John McDevitt, of the University of Texas. The nano-bio-chip assay, the size of a credit card, could be used to analyse a patient's saliva on board an ambulance, at the dentist's office or at a chemist's shop, helping save lives and prevent damage from cardiac disease.
The coronary artery disease is the most common form of heart disease among Indians. Approximately 80 per cent of those who have heart problems suffer from this form of disease. "The reason of its prevalence is deposition of fats in arteries. A person should always maintain his or her health by taking proper diet, avoiding fats, regular exercise and de-stressing. A brisk walk of 45 minutes at least five days a week is really helpful in maintaining the health," said Dr Naresh Trehan, executive director and chief cardiac department, Apollo Hospital.
Two widely prescribed cholesterol-lowering drugs, Vytorin and Zetia, may not work and should be used only as a last resort, a panel of four cardiologists has told an audience of more than 5,000 people at a major cardiology conference. Instead, doctors and patients should rely more heavily on older cholesterol-lowering drugs called statins, which have proven benefits and can be cheaper, the panel said Sunday. "The strongest recommendation we can make on this panel is to go back to statins," said Dr. Harlan Krumholz, a cardiologist at Yale. "They work."
Overeating disrupts entire networks of genes in the body, causing not only obesity, but diabetes and heart disease, in ways that may be possible to predict, researchers reported on Sunday.
The Heart of Soweto Study aims to increase our understanding of the characteristics and burden imposed by heart disease in an urban African community in probable epidemiological transition. The authors aimed to investigate the clinical range of disorders related to cardiovascular disease in patients presenting for the first time to a tertiary-care centre.
