STATE TIMES NEWS
AKHNOOR: Metabolic Syndrome is a strong predictor of Coronary Heart Disease (CHD). Studies in urban India have found about one-third of Indians suffer from Metabolic Syndrome. Less is known about the prevalence of Metabolic Syndrome in rural areas, where 70% of the population reside. There has been a striking increase in Metabolic Syndrome in rural populations with prevalence ranging from 16.8% to 28.6% among women. This finding is consistent with projections that cardiovascular disease is increasing and is projected to reach 13.5% among the rural elderly (60-69 years old) based on the rising prevalence of risk factors. The rate of diabetes, hypertension, overweight/obesity and alcohol use has increased significantly in both settings, but rural populations showed the worst trends for all risk factors.
In the rural areas, there was a trebling of diabetes and overweight/obesity, and a doubling of the prevalence of hypertension.
Given India’s limited public health resources there is a compelling public health need for health promotion and preventive interventions to reduce the alarming rate of increase in CHD.
While the level of knowledge about modifiable risk factors among India’s rural populations is largely unknown, studies in the general population have found low knowledge about heart disease and its determinants.
Keeping all these trends and figures in mind, Department of Cardiology SSH Jammu under the guidance of Dr Sushil Sharma conducted outreach camp at Brahman Sabha, Akhnoor with a aim to screen the people for cardiovascular diseases and simultaneously create awareness among the masses to adopt measures to reduce the metabolic disease which is a direct proportionate of cardiovascular disease.
All this has been possible with the combined efforts of medical team which included Dr Nasir Ali (Cardiologist) and Dr Dhaneshwer Kapoor.
Paramedics and Volunteers included kamal Sharma, Raghav Rajput, Rajkumar, Maqsood Ahmed , Ranjeet Singh, Aman Gupta , Harvinder Singh and Akshay Kumar .
About 150 people were screened for diabetes, hypertension and cardiac ailments and those found positive were advised further evaluation and provided supportive treatment free of cost.
Members of the Jammu and Kashmir Specially Abled welfare Trust Sushil Sharma (Chairman), Sham Lal (President) and Pawan Gupta appreciated the efforts of Dr Sushil and his team for conducting cardiac Awareness cum health check up camp in their area for the welfare of the society.
Dr Sushil Sharma in his concluding message told that more and more such camps will be organised in rural areas as the focus of cardiac ailments has now shifted from urban to rural areas and we also need to keep ourselves one step ahead in educating masses and make them understand the very basic concept of primary prevention of cardiac ailments which is feasible only by organising such activities. Further he elaborated that there is an alarming rise in the prevalence of Metabolic Syndrome in rural areas that will eventually be reflected in increasing morbidity and mortality from heart disease. There is an urgent need to target interventions to rural women who appear to have the highest prevalence of cardiovascular risk factor. In this population, prevention strategies should target knowledge and management of serum cholesterol and high blood pressure, which are both treatable and represent the most common preventable risk factors in this population.
