Cardiologists give hearty advice

Kozhikode: Kerala has become a breeding ground for patients with high mental and physical stress, diabetes, high cholesterol level and blood pressure, according to Dr K.P. Markose, president, Cardiology Society of India, Kerala chapter (CSIK).

The long-standing risk factors are aggravated by unhealthy eating habits, sedentary lifestyle, obesity, smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, lack of exercise and sleep deprivation, he said.

“Value yourself, fix what is wrong. Self-accountability starts when you acknowledge that your behaviour harms yourself,” Dr Markose added.

He was inaugurating a two-day annual conference of CSIK held here on Wednesday.

The event was organised to evaluate various risk factors contributing to increased cases of heart attacks and their recurrences in patients and devise more stringent preventive treatment and follow-up strategies to minimise death and disability. Coronary heart disease is the leading cause of premature death and disability in India, according to WHO reports. Two million cases of heart attacks occur in the country a year and the majority are young people. Kerala tops the list in this respect among all the states in India.

Typically, coronary heart disease (CHD) is characterised by a gradual building up of plaque (block) inside coronary arteries that supply oxygen-rich blood to the heart muscles (myocardium).  When the plaque build-up reduces or totally blocks the flow of oxygen-rich blood to the heart muscles,   the muscle cells starve and fail leading to chest pain and heart attack, said the participants of the conference.

Dr P.K/ Asokan, organising chairman, Dr C.G. Sajeev, chairman, scientific committee, Dr Arun Gopi, organising secretary, and Dr C.P. Karunadas, secretary, CSIK, and Dr. T.V. Manikandan spoke.

Dr C. Ashokan Nambiar (Kozhikode) and Dr Rajan Joseph Manjuran (Kottayam) were bestowed with lifetime achievement award, a press release said.