STATE TIMES NEWS
JAMMU: To reach out to the people living in the remote corners of Jammu district, Cardiology Department of Government Medical College and Super Speciality Hospital (GMC&SS) Jammu on Sunday held a camp at Panchayat Ghar Kangrail in Mishriwala area of Jammu city.
Head, Department of Cardiology, Dr. Sushil Sharma led a team of young and enterprising doctors which screened male as well as females who had specially gathered to find out whether or not they were living a heart healthy life. With focus on prevention of cardiac diseases in females both young and old, Dr. Sushil interacted with those being screened to apprise them about signs and symptoms of heart diseases in females.
It is myth that most people, including women nurture that they are immune to heart diseases and heart attacks, said Dr. Sushil.
He added that hormone oestrogen doesn’t protect women from a sudden heart attack and both men and women are prone to heart disease alike.
Dr. Sushil said that there has been 16-20 per cent growth in cardiovascular diseases among women in the last five years and of this, 10-15 per cent growth in such diseases among women in the age group of 20-40 years-the category which was earlier considered protected from heart ailments.
Dr. Sushil added that due to changes in lifestyle, not only have the risk factors for the cardiovascular diseases like stress, smoking and drinking increased considerably, but co-morbid conditions like obesity, hypertension and diabetes have also gone up.
“Women often overlook symptoms and discomfort pertaining to heart diseases, and rarely consult an expert. Even if they opt for consultation, more often than not, they discontinue the treatment as soon as they get symptomatic relief. The compliance rate is comparatively poor among women,” said Dr. Sushil.
He maintained that since working women juggle home and work responsibilities, they are more likely to get exposed to stress and unhealthy lifestyle and, therefore, may be more prone to cardiovascular diseases as compared to non-working women. The need is to encourage women to go for a heart health check-up and accompany her to one, said Dr. Sushil.
He spelled out that like males, in females; high blood pressure or hypertension is a silent disease. If left untreated, it makes the heart work harder, speeds up hardening of the arteries, and increases the risk of heart attack, stroke, and kidney failure.
“Women who have a history of high blood pressure and overweight women with high blood pressure are also at greater risk. Although high blood pressure cannot be cured, it can be controlled with diet, exercise, and, if necessary, medicines,” added Dr. Sushil. He maintained that high blood pressure is a lifelong risk and requires effective long-term management, including regular blood pressure checks and the appropriate medicines.
“Women with diabetes have a higher risk of death from cardiovascular disease than men with diabetes have. The increased risk may also be explained by the fact that most diabetic patients tend to be overweight and physically inactive, have high cholesterol levels, and are more likely to have high blood pressure,” said Dr. Sushil.
He maintained that proper and effective management of diabetes is important for cardiovascular health. Dr. Sushil asked females attending the camp to be cautious and live a heart healthy life. The invitation to hold the day long camp had been extended by a social activist Manoj Sharma and his associates. “I express my heartfelt gratitude to Dr. Sushil for having accepted our invitation and holding the cardiac health awareness camp in this remote area,” said Manoj. The team of doctors which assisted Dr. Sushil included Dr. Mohi Kalsotra, Dr. Dhaneshwar Kapoor and Dr. Anitipal Singh. Paramedics and volunteers who were part of the team included Kashmiri Lal, Kamal Kishore, Sanjay Sharma, Gaurav Sharma, Vikas Kumar, Mohan Krishan and Rahul Tickoo.
