A study carried out in 52 countries and published in Lancet identified nine common risk factors for heart health: Dr Anurag

GUNTUR: Sounding alarm about the drastic increase in heart diseases in India, renowned cardiologist and chairman of Lalitha super specialty hospital, Dr PV Raghava Sarma has said that regular physical activity and stress management will rapidly reduce heart ailments. He said that average heart diseases in India are way ahead of world average, and it is high time for everyone to take care of their heart’s health.
In a move to create awareness about heart diseases, Lalitha group of hospitals, a Centre of Excellence to handle cardiovascular diseases, has launched series of activities to mark the world heart day to be celebrated on Sunday.The activities commenced with a free screening camp for heart diseases. “Knowing the symptoms and taking precautionary measures is the best way to prevent cardiac diseases. People should be proactive in following the precautions as heart diseases have become biggest cause of death in the country,” said Dr Raghava Sarma.
He said that physical activity with regular exercise for 30 minutes at least five days a week, eating balanced diet, stress management with meditation and Yoga will play a big role in bringing down the risk of facing sudden trouble. He said that people should also keep their blood pressure, diabetes level, BMI regularly to avoid further complications. “Sleep and relaxation, social interaction, avoiding smoking and alcohol will help improve overall health and also health of heart,” observed Dr Raghava Sarma.
“As a part of global initiative, we are also encouraging people to sign petition to alert govts to prioritize heart health. We are planning to keep red lights over the hospital building to bring attention of the people towards world heart day campaign on Sunday,” said Dr P Anurag, director of endovascular interventions. He said they would encourage individuals to prioritize their heart health with regular health check-ups and advocate for healthy lifestyle, demand, action and policies.
Dr Anurag said that cardiovascular disease is leading cause of death in India with higher case fatality. He said that inherent biological risk, epidemiological, demographic, nutritional, social and cultural changes led to unhealthy lifestyle and increased risk factors. “According to WHO, cardiovascular disease accounts 17.7 million deaths annually with India accounts for one fifth of deaths especially in younger population. The prevalence of CVD in 272 per one lakh people is much higher than global average of 235 per lakh,” said Dr Anurag