Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram   

Incidence of heart attacks continue to rise: experts

Thiruvananthapuram: The incidence of heart attacks have been going up due to the increasing prevalence of obesity and diabetes, doctors have pointed out.

Even though medical treatments are available for obesity now, lifestyle modifications, including a strict control on the diet, regular exercise and quitting smoking would have to be adopted by the patient. But this is easier said than done.

At a continuing medical education programme organised by the Cardio Vascular Society of India and the World Heart Federation here on Monday, in connection with the observance of World Heart Day (September 30), doctors pointed out that diabetes can cause serious damage to the blood vessels. Cardiovascular diseases and peripheral arterial diseases (damages to blood supplies to the arteries in legs and feet) are a very common complication of diabetes.

In about 75 per cent of diabetes patients, the walls of the arteries to the heart and brain are damaged, making them easily susceptible to heart attacks.

The walls of the arteries gets thickened, which leads to a condition called atherosclerosis, when fatty deposits stick to the walls reducing blood supply. Diabetes patients would thus have to take three or prophylactic drugs to prevent the damage to arteries.

But most diabetes patients are not aware of the fact that they are at an increased risk of heart attacks.

Regular exercise, proper diet and medication can prevent heart diseases to a large extent. Modern methods of angioplasty are available to treat blocks in blood vessels. It is, however, important that diabetes is detected early and managed properly through the strict control of glycaemic (blood sugar) levels, because the symptoms of heart diseases are not often very visible in diabetes patients, doctors said.

All diabetes patients over 40 years can take aspirin and statins in low doses on the advice of doctors, they said.

Tiny Nair, chief cardiologist, PRS Hospital, Madhusoodanan Nair, Professor of Medicine, SP Fort Hospital, Prathap Kumar, cardiologist, PRS Hospital, and K. Jothydev, Diabetologist, spoke on various topics.

They also discussed the global movement to develop the ‘polypill’ strategy (a single combination pill of the three or four medications that a diabetes patient would have to take) to combat diabetes.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Action picks up at Chitranjali studio complex
SBT staff hold protest
FRAT to start campaign against plastic
Two coconut products launched
Victim support cells at police stations
Rs.144-crore liquor sale during Onam season
NH-47 section to be resurfaced
A shattered dream
Workshop on quality research
Environment monitoring begins
ODEPC caution
Beneficiaries of insurance scheme unknown
Strict action against cooking gas diversion
Incidence of heart attacks continue to rise: experts
Minister inaugurates health centre
Painting contest for students
Bank opens ATM
‘Systematic ways needed to empower women’
Drive against plastic to begin today
DCC celebrates Twenty20 win
Local people protest against sand-mining
BJP condoles Jana’s death
Speaker to attend meet
Government reward for Sreesanth
Special trains to Chennai

Copyright © 2007, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu