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The World Health Organization (WHO) documents more than 17 million deaths in the world per year caused by Cardiovascular Diseases (CVDs) including heart disease and stroke. It is in this premise that World Heart Day was founded in 2000, by the World Heart Federation and WHO of which the Sri Lanka Heart Association is also a member. Each year 29 September is dedicated to the prevention and awareness of Cardiovascular Diseases, the main cause of death in the world today.
Males naturally at risk
“80% of premature/sudden deaths could be prevented by keeping away from ‘modifiable’ risk factors such as smoking, unhealthy diet, physical inactivity, stress and harmful use of alcohol,” said resident Consultant Cardiologist of Lanka Hospitals Dr. S.M. Mubarak. He added that apart from old age and genetic factors, non-modifiable risk factors include the Male gender due to hormonal activity.
“Females before menopause are at a lower risk of CVDs when compared to males because of the oestrogen hormone present in their bodies. Oestrogen has a number of positive effects on cardiovascular function and this protects the female gender naturally against heart attacks and strokes. It is unlucky that even with a natural risk of CVDs, it is mostly the males who smoke and consume harmful quantities of alcohol especially in middle and lower income countries. Avoiding food with a high LDL cholesterol concentration such as egg yolk, meat products with high oil bases, dairy products and saturated fats and oils can also lower the risk of CVDs,” Dr. Mubarak said.
Rice and fruit juice myths busted
Interventional Cardiologist Dr. S. Mithrakumar stressed on the inevitable link between diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. He spoke of the high intake of carbohydrates by South and South East Asians through their main staple food, rice.
“Rice is a main contributory factor for diabetes in middle and low income countries. Grains rapidly break down as sugar, which causes rises in insulin that worsens health problems. One can immensely benefit by c
utting down on whole grain and sprouted grain,” Dr. Mithrakumar said. He added that rapidly-absorbed carbohydrates with a high glycemic index such as white bread and rice cause blood sugar to spike, resulting in diabetes and in parallel the elevated risk of CVDs.
“One might think that fresh fruit juice without added sugar is healthy. Not really. When we eat a whole fruit, we chew and swallow, making the natural sugar in it break down slowly during digestion. Our liver can metabolise these small amounts of sugar without being overloaded. However, drinking a glass of fruit juice is equivalent to drinking several pieces of fruit in a very short amount of time without all the original fibre. This large amount of sugar is absorbed and transported to the liver very quickly, just like when one drinks a sugar-sweetened beverage,” added Dr. Mithrakumar.
Diabetes itself is a CVD
Resident Consultant Cardiologist of Lanka Hospitals Dr. Lalani Kapurage continued the discussion, stressing that most people are unaware of the danger posed to heart health through diabetes. “Diabetes itself is a cardiovascular disease. Diabetic patients are at a high risk of heart attacks and strokes and they are also at a high risk of silent ischemia. Silent ischemia refers to the lack of oxygen and blood flow to the heart muscle causing sudden death preceded by very mild pain or no pain at all in the heart muscle,” she said.
Dr. Kapuruge stressed on the danger of missing proper CVD diagnosis among diabetic patients due to silent ischemia. “Usually a patient comes to a cardiologist with symptoms such as chest pain, but diabetic patients do not experience the regular symptoms of heart disease. The danger in missing the diagnosis by the primary physician therefore is greater. Diabetic patients therefore should take extra care and give greater attention to their heart health by way of including routine echocardiogram and exercise ECG tests to their regular checkups.”
Echocardiogram, a sonogram of the heart; detects the heart’s function.
Exercise ECG detects if the vessels are clear or any blocks are hindering the blood flow to and from the heart. Both these tests therefore are equally important to determine heart health.
“My message to diabetic patients is to get their echo and exercise ECG tests done at least twice a year to prevent the risk of sudden cardiac arrests and to prevent heart conditions by being vigilant and being treated on time,” Dr. Kapuruge said.
Get treated at a world class facility
The Heart Centre of Lanka Hospitals treats approximately 75 patients on a daily basis, from consultations, tests to cardio thoracic surgeries. Almost all cardiac surgeons practicing in Sri Lanka with experience in multiple complex heart procedures perform surgeries aided by the state of the art facilities at Lanka Hospitals.
Dr. G. Gandhiji, Chief Resident Cardiothoracic Surgeon of Lanka Hospitals, explained the most common heart procedure done so far in the world, Coronary Artery Bypass Graft (CABG), where the surgery is done on the surface of the heart to replace blocked arteries.
“My surgical team at Lanka Hospitals and I perform about 40 bypass surgeries a month. CABG or more commonly known as heart Bypass surgery has unfortunately become a common procedure generally caused by preventable or modifiable risk factors. Lanka Hospitals with its modern but homely ambience, peaceful environment and friendly clinical staff is an ideal facility for heart patients to undergo and recover from heart surgeries,” said Dr. Gandhiji.
He added that new technological advancements in heart procedures such as minimal invasive heart surgery where a small incision is made under the chest as opposed to splitting the breastbone and heart transplants would soon be introduced to Lanka Hospitals.
