World Heart Day is celebrated every year on 29th of September. It was created by the World Heart Federation and the first World Heart Day was observed back in 2000.
Heart attacks and strokes are usually acute events and are mainly caused by a blockage that prevents blood from flowing to the heart or brain. The most common reason for this is a build-up of fatty deposits on the inner walls of the blood vessels that supply the heart or brain. Strokes can also be caused by bleeding from a blood vessel or from blood clots, developing in major arteries of brain. The causes of heart attacks and strokes are usually the presence of a combination of risk factors, such as tobacco use, unhealthy diet and obesity, physical inactivity and harmful use of alcohol, hypertension, diabetes and hyperlipidemia.
In the time of Covid-19, CVD patients are faced with a double-edged threat. Not only are they more at risk of developing severe forms of the virus, but they may also be afraid to seek ongoing care for their hearts. CVDs are the number 1 cause of death globally: more people die annually from CVDs than from any other cause. WHO reports that 17.9 million people died from CVDs in every year, representing 31% of all global deaths. Of these deaths, 85% are due to heart attack and stroke. Over three quarters of CVD deaths take place in low- and middle-income countries. The condition affects men more commonly than women. Men older than 45 years and women older than 55 years are at increased risk.
The typical symptoms of an underlying cardiovascular issue include, pain or pressure in the chest, by a typical angina or a varied angina manifest bypain or discomfort in the arms, left shoulder, elbows, jaw, or back, shortness of breath, nausea and fatigue, lightheadedness or dizziness and cold sweats. To prevent the danger of heart attack, manage body weight, get regular exercise, follow a heart-healthy diet, quit smoking, avoid intake of processed food, salt, saturated fat.
Added sugar has a similar effect. There are many risk factors related to coronary heart disease. Some of these risk factors can be controlled through lifestyle changes or medications, while others factors include, smoking, physical inactivity, obesity, imbalance in food intake and stress/anxiety.
Pakistan’s population has one of the highest risks of coronary heart diseases in the world where 30 per cent to 40 per cent of all deaths are due to cardiovascular diseases. High blood pressure, high LDL cholesterol and smoking are key risk factors for heart diseases. Despite its prevalence, it is possible to reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases with lifestyle changes. Whereas 80 per cent of premature deaths from CVD could be avoided if the four main risk factors; tobacco use, unhealthy diet, physical inactivity and harmful use of alcohol were controlled.
The issues relating to heart diseases are very serious matter that required an urgent action. People generally either misunderstand the symptoms of heart-attack or opt to visit the nearest quacks. Both are hazardous and risky for patient’s life. It is important to get medical help from only those health establishments, registered with the Punjab Healthcare Commission (PHC).The Commission is an autonomous health regulatory body established to improve the quality of healthcare service delivery for the people of Punjab through implementation of Minimum Service Delivery Standards (MSDS) in both public and private sectors’ healthcare establishments. These include allopathic system of medicine & surgery, alternate systems of medicine like Homeopathy and Tibb.
 By: Mohammad Javed Pasha