STATE TIMES NEWS
JAMMU: In view of the upcoming harsh winters and looming pandemic of cardiovascular disease, Head Department of Cardiology GMCH Jammu, Dr Sushil Sharma held a day long cardiac awareness-cum-health check up camp at Shiv Mandir, Apna Vihar Jammu enlightening the masses about the ways to prevent winter heart ailments and reduce mortality.
While interacting with the people, Dr Sushil stated that Cardiovascular Diseases (CVDs) are the number one cause of death worldwide.
“An estimated 20 million people died from CVDs, representing 30% of all global deaths. Seasonal variation in morbidity and mortality due to CVDs has been noted in both the northern and southern hemispheres, with higher incidence rates during the winter than in the summer. This variation linked with multiple risk factors, such as temperature, physical activity, air pollution, infections, and food habits,” Dr Sushil said.
He elaborated that when temperature drops, blood vessels narrow in your skin and fingers and toes, so that less heat is lost. But this narrowing (called ‘vasoconstriction’) creates more pressure in the rest of the circulation, meaning the heart has to work harder to pump blood around the body, increasing heart rate and blood pressure.
This is a normal response to the cold, but the extra strain can lead to heart symptoms for people who have an existing condition, especially during exercise, Dr Sushil said adding that people with angina may experience a worsening in their symptoms during the winter months, or find that they are less able to be physically active when it’s cold.
At the same time, he said, the blood itself can become thicker and stickier and more likely to form clots – which can lead to a heart attack or stroke.
“So if anyone has a heart condition, it’s important to stay warm in winter. If you find that you feel worse when it’s cold, stay in on the coldest days if you can, and exercise indoors,” he suggested.
While highlighting the increased prevalence of cardiac ailments in winters, he added that behavioural and physiological responses to seasonal change modulate susceptibility to cardiovascular seasonality.
However, given the size of the problem and a range of possible targets to reduce seasonal provocation of CVD in vulnerable individuals, scope exists for both greater recognition of the problem and application of multifaceted interventions to attenuate its effects, he said.
He advised people to follow these tips to stay healthy in the cold weather like Limit the time you spend outside when it’s cold. If you go out, dress warmly in several layers. Cover your head and hands, and wear warm socks and shoes, don’t exert yourself too much. It can lead to angina, heart attacks, heart failure, and sudden death.
Management Committee of the Apna Vihar Residence Welfare Association Neeraj Tandon, Adv V R Chauhan, Col. Vikram Bhasin, S P Bhatti, Vijay Sharma, Sharad Khajuria and H K Pagotra appreciated the efforts of Dr Sushil and his team for conducting cardiac awareness cum health check up camp in their society and shows their heartfelt gratitude.
Others who were part of this camp includes Dr Venkatesh Yellapu, Dr Dhaneshwer Kapoor, Dr Rattan Pal and Dr Subhash Gupta. Paramedics and volunteers includes Raghav Rajput, Kamal Sharma, Maninder Singh, Paramveer Singh, Rohit Nayyar, Amish Jamwal, Arun Singh, Jatin Bhasin, Vinay Kumar, Ranjit Singh, Vikas Kumar, Goutav Sharma, Rajinder Singh, Faisal Rashid, Amnish Dutta and Nirvair Singh Bali.