STATE TIMES NEWS
JAMMU: In order to enlighten masses particularly older population in these harsh winters when cardiac ailments are on rise Head Department of Cardiology GMCH Jammu, Dr Sushil Sharma held a day long Cardiac awareness cum health Check up camp at Home for the Aged and Infirm, Amphalla Jammu to overcome the increasing trend of cardiovascular diseases and hence by decrease the morbidity and mortality.
While interacting with the people Dr Sushil stated that globally, the population is ageing, with older people becoming a proportionally larger share of the total population.
“The incidence of cardiovascular disease increases with age from ?40% in adults aged 40-59 years, to 75% in those 60-79 years, and 86% in those >80 years. This has been linked to several factors, such as increased oxidative stress, inflammation, apoptosis, and overall vascular and myocardial deterioration associated with ageing, as well as to a higher risk for other morbid conditions including frailty, obesity, and diabetes. Given that CVD begins at a young age, primordial and primary prevention strategies to address risk factors should start early to prevent CV events at older age. While, data show that it is never too late to initiate risk factor management strategies, the goal of preventative medicine in older adults is somewhat different; focusing not only on reduction of morbidity and mortality but also more significantly on maintenance of function and preservation of quality of life,” Dr Sushil said.
He elaborated that in older people, the ability to follow lifestyle or pharmacological strategies can be impacted by cognitive and emotional factors.
“Cognitive decline shares many risk factors with CVD, including high cholesterol, high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes, physical inactivity, smoking, and poor diet. In addition, higher levels of cardiac troponin T have been associated with cognitive decline in older adults independent of CVD. The importance of primary prevention is underscored by the fact that CV events have been associated with accelerated cognitive decline over time. While older adults with preserved function should often be treated similar to younger adults, those with advanced frailty and functional dependence should have their hypertension management reassessed, with consideration of deprescribing and blood pressure leniency to avoid further functional impairment from adverse effects. Clinical decision-making for older adults in between these two spectrums is most challenging, requiring a tailored approach considering comorbidities, life expectancy, function, frailty, as well as patient preferences in a process of shared decision-making,” Dr Sushil said.
He added while highlighting the ever growing need for easy accessibility of cardiovascular healthcare for elderly population told that the growing elderly population worldwide represents a major challenge for caregivers, healthcare providers, and society. Older patients have a higher prevalence of cardiovascular (CV) disease, high rates of CV risk factors, and multiple age-related co morbidities. Although prevention and management strategies have been shown to be effective in older people, they continue to be under-used, and under-studied.
In addition to hard endpoints, frailty, cognitive impairments, and patients’ re-assessment of important outcomes (e.g. quality of life vs. longevity) are important aspects for older patients. In the complex environment of the older patient, a multidisciplinary care team approach with the involvement of the individual patient in the decision-making process can help optimize prevention and management strategies, he said.
Management committee of the Home for the Aged and Infirm I D Soni (President), Vijay Bargotra, Vijay Gupta and M L Vaid appreciated the efforts of Dr Sushil and his team for conducting cardiac awareness cum health check up camp in their premises.
Others who were part of this Camp includes Dr Dhaneshwer Kapoor. Paramedics and volunteers includes Raghav Rajput , Kamal Sharma, Jatin Bhasin, Dishant Sharma, Rohit Nayyar, Aman Gupta, Ranjeet Thakur, Rajkumar, Rajinder Singh, Gourav Sharma, Vikas kumar, Faisal Rashid, Shahrukh Khan and Milan Kapoor.