STATE TIMES NEWS
JAMMU: Keeping in view the resurgence and unprecedented rise of cardiovascular diseases in defence forces, Head Department of Cardiology, GMCH Jammu, Dr Sushil Sharma delivered a lecture and conducted a day long cardiac awareness cum health checkup camp at SHQ/51BN BSF Indreshwar Nagar, here where defence personnel and their families were educated about adopting healthy and cardiac friendly lifestyle with major emphasis on the primary prevention.
While delivering lecture, Dr Sushil stated that cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) have now become the leading cause of mortality in India. A quarter of all mortality is attributable to CVD. Ischemic heart disease and stroke are the predominant causes and are responsible for >80% of CVD deaths.
The Global Burden of Disease study estimate of age-standardized CVD death rate of 272 per 100?000 population in India is higher than the global average of 235 per 100?000 population. Some aspects of the CVD epidemic in India are particular causes of concern, including its accelerated buildup, the early age of disease onset in the population, and the high case fatality rate. In India, the epidemiological transition from predominantly infectious disease conditions to non-communicable diseases has occurred over a rather brief period of time, Dr Sushil said.
He elaborated that the military personnel lead a healthy lifestyle which includes regular physical exercise, good nutrition and easy access to preventive healthcare and are thus expected to be healthier than the native population.
However, military service is also inherently associated with long hours of work, strong disciplinary mechanisms, stress of separation from family, uncongenial climatic and terrain conditions and the impending fear of enemy action leading to increased risk of cardiovascular diseases. Similar to the civilian population, the increased cardiovascular risk factors prevalence also affect the military population.
Recent studies reported an increasing trend CAD prevalence in the military population. Investigations have revealed that most of the time, both low and high-rank military personnel are under high-pressure duty-related stress condition followed by physical and psychological issues, which may contribute as a risk factor for cardiovascular disease development. He further added that serving personnel of the armed forces have to work in isolated remote areas under extremely uncertain stressful conditions. Cultural Indian dietary preferences are typically rich in calories, and this gets complicated in a combat zone by the belief of individuals to consume energy-dense foods which are high in carbohydrates and trans fats. This combination of increased stress, traditional dietary patterns, and unaccustomed exertion makes personnel more prone to cardiac ailments.
Dr Sushil in his concluding remarks elaborated that Cardiovascular diseases are common in serving personnel in a combat zone, and prompt recognition and initiation of treatment is of utmost importance in preventing mortality and long-term morbidity. Digital transmission of ECG and facility of prehospital thrombolysis will help in preventing sudden cardiac death. Immediate preceding exertion and smoking were the most common precipitators of ACS. Proper counselling about a healthy diet with increased intake of two or more servings of fruits and vegetables along with supervised graded exercise on induction and avoidance of unaccustomed exertion may also help in reducing the incidence of cardiac events.
DIG SHQ /51BN BSF Indreshwar Nagar Vikas Mohan Singh, Com. K Umesh , Dr Retaish Kumar ( MO), V P Choubey, Ritesh Thakur, Sudhir Pankaj, Vikas Sharma and Tarsem Lal appreciated the efforts of Dr Sushil for delivering lecture and conducting cardiac awareness camp in their premises. Others who were part of this camp includes Dr Nasir Ali Choudhary (Cardiologist), Dr Anitipal Singh ( Orthopedics) and Dr Dhaneshwer Kapoor. Paramedics and volunteers include Raghav Rajput, Kamal Sharma, Rajinder Singh, Rajkumar, Ranjeet Singh, Arjun Ghuman, Mukesh Kumar, Sahil Sharma, Sandeep Pal, Hridanshu Kohli and Akshay Kumar.
