Exposure to environmental toxins can cause heart diseases in the longerterm

“Heart disease is emerging as the number one killer in India”

New Delhi, August 31, 2018:

Exposure to environmental toxic metals such as arsenic, lead, copper and cadmium are linked to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and coronary heart disease, as per recent research. Exposure to arsenic was found to be significantly associated with a 23% greater relative risk of coronary heart disease and a 30% greater relative risk of composite cardiovascular disease.

Estimates indicate that India will soon have the highest number of heart disease cases in the world. About 50% of all heart attacks in Indians occur under 50 years of age and 25% in Indians under 40 years of age. Population living in the cities is three times more prone to heart attacks than people living in villages.

Speaking about this, Padma Shri Awardee, Dr KK Aggarwal, President, HCFI, said, “Heart disease and other non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as diabetes, hypertension, cancer, and stroke are steadily on the rise and will soon take epidemic proportions. The urban population is three times more likely to have heart attacks than those living in rural areas. The reason for this can be attributed to stress, aberrant lifestyle, and hectic schedules that leave very little or no time for physical activity. In recent times, healthy looking adults present with cases of cardiac arrest, stroke and hypertension or were at risk of developing any of these disease at any point in their lives.”

Almost 80% to 90% of premature deaths that occur due to these NCDs in the country are preventable through regular screening, timely medical intervention, and proper disease management. Women especially need extra attention as the symptoms they present maybe entirely different to that of men.

Adding further, Dr Aggarwal, who is also the Vice President of CMAAO, said, “There is a very small percentage of participant with favorable factors for not getting heart problems. This reiterates the need to adopt and maintain a healthy lifestyle to have a healthy heart and this should begin early on in life. As doctors, it falls upon us to educate our patients and make them aware of ways to live a healthy lifestyle to reduce the burden of disease in older age. I teach my patients the Formula of 80 to live up to the age of 80 years.”

Heart disease will be one of the primary points of discussion at the 25^th MTNL Perfect Health Mela to be held between 24^th and 28^th October 2018 at the Talkatora Indoor Stadium, New Delhi.

Formula of 80 to live up to 80

• Keep lower blood pressure, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) ‘bad’ cholesterol, fasting sugar, resting heart rate and abdominal girth all below 80.
• Keep kidney and lung functions >80%.
• Engage in recommended amounts of physical activity (minimum 80 min of moderately strenuous exercise per week). Walk 80 min a day, brisk walk 80 min/week with a speed of at least 80 steps per min.
• Eat less and not >80 gm or mL of caloric food each meal.
• Take 80 mg atorvastatin for prevention, when prescribed.
• Keep noise levels below 80 dB.
• Keep particulate matter PM 2.5 and PM 10 levels below 80 mcg per cubic meter.
• Achieve 80% of target heart rate when doing heart conditioning exercise