Monday, July 28, 2008 Expert hits lack of attention for heart diseases By Jane Cadalig
A CARDIOLOGY expert has criticized government's "wrong priorities" in addressing medical problems, saying too little attention is given to what is regarded as the leading causes of death.
"It is frustrating health officials give too much focus on Aids (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome), malaria, Sars and bird flu but they fail to give importance to coronary heart disease, which is the number one killer disease, not only in the county but also worldwide," said Dr. Alfonso Bellosillo, cardiology consultant at the Makati Medical Center (MMC).
"I do not know why coronary heart diseases are not given priority. Maybe because there is nothing dramatic about dying of heart attack, compared when someone dies of Aids or Sars," he said adding that even the public takes it casually when a person dies of a heart disease.
Bellosillo lectured on preventive cardiology at the Benguet State University last Friday, as part of the school's annual convention on nutrition and dietetics.
Aside from MMC, Bellosillo is also associated with VRP Medical Center along Epifanio delos Santos Avenue (Edsa) in Mandaluyong City, and San Juan District Hospital.
Quoting a report from the World Health Organization, Bellosillo said 40 percent of the deaths are due to heart diseases. "If we include its complications, it will be 50 percent," he said.
Records of the Department of Health (DOH) showed that from 1999 to 2004, the trend in number of people dying of heart ailments was increasing. In 1999, 58,574 people died of heart disease. In 2000, 60,417 or 16.5 percent of the total deaths in the country were attributed to heart disease.
In 2003, 67,696 persons died of the disease or 17.1 percent of the deaths; while in 2004, 70,861 or 17.6 percent died due to the sickness.
"Government should give priority in (combating) heart diseases. The disease is not curable but it is preventable. The focus should be on the prevention of the disease to lessen deaths and disability," Bellosillo said.
He added that government's actions towards heart disease should be pro-active, saying medications or attention should not only be given after a person is already afflicted with the ailment.
"Actions must be preventive. (We should change) the attitude which is manipulated by the business of working on technological interventions to cure the disease," he said.
In his lecture, Bellosillo said hypertension is the leading cause of heart attack, stroke and kidney failure. Complications of heart disease lead to loss of vision and diabetes mellitus, among others.
To prevent hypertension, Bellosillo said one must reduce his intake of fatty and salty foods, stop smoking and exercise regularly. A regular check on blood pressure is also necessary.
The normal blood pressure is 120 over 80 as registered in the blood pressure machine. An abnormal blood pressure is 140 over 90. The average is 135 over 85 to 139 over 89.
Aside from lifestyle, one of the factors which provoke heart diseases is the cold temperature. Exposure to cold, according to Bellosillo, causes the arteries to shrink thereby clotting the blood's passage to the heart.
He said the risk of developing heart diseases is higher in cooler countries.
Bellosillo is part of a foundation, which is now conducting massive lectures on preventive cardiology.
He said his foundation already conducted 278 lectures and foras on heart diseases and its prevention.
Bellosillo also composed songs emphasizing on the prevention of heart diseases, which he calls medical lyrics. These songs are sung whenever his group holds lectures on preventive cardiology or during concerts.
Among the major risk factors of heart diseases, genetics, age and gender are the causes which could not be modified or remedied, according to her.
"But one could lower his risk by tracing the medical history of the person he or she wants to marry. If found to have a history of heart disease, then maybe the person should not push through with the plans of marrying the one he or she loves," Bellosillo said, eliciting laughter from the audience.
