Environmental determinants of cardiovascular disease, upsurge & neglected aspect: Dr Sushil
STATE TIMES NEWs
JAMMU: Dr. Sushil Sharma, Head of the Department of Cardiology at the GMCH, augmented his efforts to educate the public about the negative effects of cardiovascular diseases due to deteriorating air quality today by holding a day-long awareness-cum-screening camp at Raipur Domana, here on Sunday.
Participants of all ages and from all communities were invited to attend. Additionally, individuals with a high cardiac risk were urged to undergo additional testing.
During his conversation with the patients, Dr. Sushil noted that over the last decade, a growing body of epidemiological and clinical evidence has increased concern about the possible negative effects of ambient air pollution on health and its link to heart disease and stroke.
Of special interest are several environmental air pollutants that include carbon monoxide, oxides of nitrogen, sulfur dioxide, ozone, lead, and particulate matter (“thoracic particles” [PM10] <10 ?m in aerodynamic diameter, “fine particles” [PM2.5] <2.5 ?m, and “coarse particles” [PM10 to 2.5]), Dr. Sushil said adding that these pollutants are associated with increased hospitalization and mortality due to cardiovascular disease, especially in persons with congestive heart failure, frequent arrhythmias, or both.
The well-established causal associations between active and passive smoking with heart disease and stroke support the plausibility of an adverse effect of PM on the cardiovascular system, Dr Sushil said.
He further added that air pollution may accelerate the development of coronary atherosclerosis and worsen its sequel. Some of these effects may occur over time, as with acceleration of the progression of atherosclerosis, or rather abruptly, as with the triggering of an arrhythmia or myocardial infarction by acute inflammatory responses, altered platelet adhesiveness, or perhaps vascular endothelial dysfunction.
The putative biological mechanisms linking air pollution to heart disease involve direct effects of pollutants on the cardiovascular system, blood, and lung receptors, and/or indirect effects mediated through pulmonary oxidative stress and inflammatory responses. Direct effects may occur via agents that readily cross the pulmonary epithelium into the circulation.
Short-term exposure can increase the risk of heart attack, stroke, arrhythmias and heart failure in susceptible people, such as the elderly or those with pre-existing medical conditions. The risk of death is greater from long-term exposure
Dr Sushil Sharma, while addressing the masses, told that public awareness of the health risks of air pollution has never been higher and while we may have known for many centuries that air pollution is damaging to health, it is only in last two decades that the full magnitude of the problem has been recognized and the statistics are staggering. Time is running out and we must work together to ensure that our children can grow up in healthy cities, breathing clean air and living long, heart-healthy lives.
Prominent members of the area Rita Devi (Sarpanch), Randhir Singh, Joginder Sharma, Satish Singh, Kulbir Singh, Saudaghar Singh, Babbal Jamwal and Baldev Singh appreciated the efforts of Dr Sushil and his team for conducting cardiac awareness cum health checkup camp in their locality and hope such kind of events will be regular feature in future also.
Others who were part of this camp include Dr Dhaneshwer Kapoor and Dr Anitipal Singh. Paramedics and Volunteers includes Kamal Sharma, Raghav Rajput, Ranjeet Singh, Rajkumar, Akshay Kumar, Sahil Sharma, Sandeep Pal and Amandeep Singh.
