Cardiologists urge people to monitor blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar levels regularly

Cardiologists have stressed on the importance of regularly monitoring blood pressure, cholesterol and sugar levels – major causes of heart diseases – as these can be treated with the help of modern techniques. “Heart failure has become the single largest cause of death around the world including Pakistan. But the good news is that the latest ways of treatments have helped heart patients to live for a longer time span – for up to 70-80 years of their age. They need to do only one thing. They should know their numbers including blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar level, ” according to cardiologist Dr Rajkumar Sachdewani. He was speaking at the 26th Annual Cardiology Update with the theme ‘Innovations in Cardiology: From Evidence to Excellence’. The three-day conference of the Pakistan Cardiac Society (PCS) featured a number of sessions and workshops, organized by the Armed Forces Institute of Cardiology (AFIC) and the National Institute of Heart Diseases (NIHD) earlier this month in Bhurban. Giving a talk on ‘Advanced Heart Failure: Management and Future Directions’, he explained that the New York Heart Association (NYHA) now divides heart failure patients into four distinct classes. Under class-I, heart patients show no symptoms of diseases. However, they have a family history of diabetes, hypertension and heart failure. Under class-II, patients also do not show symptoms. But they are diagnosed with changes in the working of their heart when they are tested. They may be living with uncontrolled diabetic or hypertension. In class-IIII, heart patients show symptoms, including shortness of breath. Their heart is found not working properly when checked. They are fine at rest, but face hardship with less-than-ordinary physical activities. And in class-IV, patients face high conditions of shortening of breath. Symptoms of heart failure are present even at reset, Dr Sachdewani said. These days, he said, cardiologists are focusing on class-I patients, advising them to focus on their diet, weight and exercise. “Weight is no more a risk factor, it has become a disease. Latest medications are there in the market to control weight. ” “Heart failure is very dangerous. It is more dangerous than cancer, ” he reiterated. “Prevention is better than cure, ” he added. Such practices lead to hypertension, which is a silent killer. It is the single largest cause behind heart diseases, and a large portion of the population in Pakistan is not aware it is suffering from it. He added that people should avoid junk and deep-fried foods as well as sugary drinks and find time for walking and exercise. “A daily 30 to 40 minutes walking is generally recommended to everyone, ” he said. “If there are four people above 40 years of age in a family, one of them will be a hypertension patient, ” he said, adding some 50 percent hypertension patients are not aware they are living with a silent killer. Out of the 50 percent who are aware, only half go to doctors, and of that only half take the right medicines. Dr Sachdewani advised people above 40 to take blood thinning medication, either Ascard or 75mg of Disprin tablet under the supervision of a doctor, “as overdose may result in internal bleeding and anemia (blood deficiency). ” A blood test called PT/INR can help monitor blood thinness. Memon Medical Institute Hospital reports roughly 19 percent of deaths in Pakistan were attributable to heart-related disorders in 2016, a figure that has now grown to 29 percent. Citing the most recent WHO data on heart attack ratio in Pakistan, 240, 720 people died from coronary heart disease in Pakistan in 2020, accounting for 16. 49 percent of all fatalities. Pakistan is ranked at 30 in the world with a death rate of 193. 56 per 100, 000 people. According to World Health Organization (WHO) reports, an estimated 38. 6 million Pakistani adults (aged 30 to 79) live with hypertension. This equates to over 42 percent of the adult population, which is significantly higher than the global average of 34 percent. Tragically, only 12 percent of these individuals have their condition under control. Dr Awais Ahmad Nizami, Associate Professor of Cardiology/ Director Cath Lab, said a myth exists in society that blood pressure increases with age and 140/90 is a fine reading at the age of around 60 years. “This is wrong. BP above 120/80 needs to be taken care of. It should be controlled through exercise, change in diet or through medication. Otherwise. it will lead to weakening eyesight, kidney failure and heart diseases. ” He said DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) including eating fruits and vegetables can help control blood pressure without medication, if a person is at early stages of hypertension. The use of salt must also be tapered off. Dr Nizami said doctors use an Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring (ABPM) device to assess newly diagnosed patients for 48-hour and determine whether their blood pressure can be controlled through lifestyle modifications and without the need for medication. The conference was told that calcium deposits in the arteries and coronary vessels can be treated using advanced medical devices such as Intravascular Lithotripsy (IVL) and rotational atherectomy (Rotablation) for calcified coronary lesions. He added that Drug-Eluting Balloons (DEBs) are also being used to treat certain types of coronary lesions. The three-day conference featured extensive discussions on a wide range of crucial topics, including preventive cardiology, heart failure and cardiac devices, interventional cardiology, hypertension, structural heart diseases, cardiac imaging, cardiac electrophysiology, congenital and paediatric cardiology, and cardiac surgery. Copyright Business Recorder, 2026

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