World Hypertension Day: Hypertension is the leading cause of death in India, say doctors at Columbia Asia

India has earned the title of being the Cardiac disease capital in the world.

By: Editorial Team | | Published: May 17, 2017 10:37 am

India has earned the title of being the Cardiac disease capital in the world. About 25% urban and 15% rural Indians are hypertensive. Of these, 25% rural and 42% urban Indians are aware of their hypertensive status. It has been seen that only 1 in 5 persons is on treatment and only 5% have their BP in control. It is a well acknowledged fact today that India is grappling with a cardiovascular disease epidemic which has overtaken communicable diseases to become the leading cause of deaths among Indians. Doctors at Columbia Asia Hospital, Gurgaon, say most heart ailments can be prevented, or at least their impact can be controlled with regular preventive screenings, timely diagnosis and appropriate medical intervention. Also Read - World Hypertension Day: Summer fruits that can help control blood pressure levels

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Dr Amit Gupta, Consultant, Cardiology, Columbia Asia Hospital, Gurgaon, says, Multiple factors contribute to the risk of cardiac ailments, starting from high blood pressure and cholesterol, obesity, hypertension and stress, diabetes, to smoking and alcohol consumption. The key to prevent cardiovascular disease is managing the risk factors such as high blood pressure, cholesterol, and high blood glucose. Unfortunately, many of us tend to neglect heart health until we experience a critical episode such as heart attack or stroke. Prevention is crucial because in many cases even first-time heart attacks are fatal. To understand the risk factors that are affecting you, it is extremely important to undergo screening tests . According to database collected from Columbia Asia about 30% of the registered patients are suffering from Hypertension. The flip side is that only only one-third of them have adequate BP control. A large number of patients become treatment defaulters considering BP is controlled which actually is not. Read more World Hypertension Day 2017 – Treatment of high blood pressure with antibiotics Also Read - World Hypertension Day 2020: How walking and other home workouts can reduce high blood pressure levels?

Hypertension is a leading cause of death and disability due to heart attacks and stroke. Notably, a large number of stroke patients suffer from paralysis and have to lead restricted lives. Unfortunately, awareness about the need for regular blood pressure screening is low. A large number of people stop treatment on their own without doctor s advice. This can be life-threatening. Apart from treatment, taking preventive measures like obesity reduction, increasing physical activity, and decreasing salt intake will help you. Doctor s advice hypertension patients to follow the DASH diet to reduce their blood pressure levels. DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet is a lifelong approach to healthy eating that is designed to help treat or prevent hypertension. It includes diet rich in fruits, vegetables and low fat with reduced saturated and total fat. Doctors also encourages people to reduce the sodium in their diet and eat a variety of foods rich in nutrients. The human body requires about half a gram of sodium per day to regulate the fluid balance of cells and plasma. The maximum amount of sodium that should be incorporated into a healthy diet should range from 2,400-3,000 mg/day , says Dr Amit Gupta, Consultant, Cardiology, Columbia Asia Hospital, Gurgaon.

The accumulation of fat in the liver, or “fatty liver,” resulting from the accumulation of central body fat may represent an important underlying mechanism for the association between liver enzymes and hypertension. Fatty liver has no symptoms, but it can develop into the chronic conditions of hepatitis or cirrhosis if not diagnosed in time. Hypertensive individuals with fatty livers tend to have higher glucose levels, body mass indices, and insulin resistance as compared to hypertensive individuals without fatty livers , adds Dr Amit Gupta. Starting 25 years of age, you should get checked every year to make sure your blood pressure is in the range of 120/80. If the reading is higher, you may have to get checked more often and should also be screened for diabetes. Columbia Asia Hospitals strongly believes that focusing on treatment is no longer the only option; equal emphasis needs to be put on preventive education to cultivate heart healthy environment . Read here World Hypertension Day 2017 – Does hypertension cause chest pain and heart attack?

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Published : May 17, 2017 10:37 am

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