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Thursday, September 23, 2004
Race vs silent killer
By Henrylito D. Tacio
Health 101
"THE heart has a mind of its own," writes Dr. Bernadine Healy in a special report for "U.S. News and World Report" recently. "It is prone to flutter in response to a kiss, skip a few beats in the klieg lights, brace itself in the face of treachery, and slow during slumber--except, of course, during a nasty dream.
This ever vigilant organ sustains all others by pumping up to 6 gallons of blood per minute and propelling it through some 60,000 miles of tributaries to bathe, nourish, and cleanse virtually every cell in the body. A beating heart is the joyous first sign of life, and it's the sad final thump that marks the moment of death." No other bodily organ has inspired poets and philosophers over the centuries the way the human heart has.
"We all still speak of happy hearts, good hearts, heavy hearts and brave hearts," Dr. Healy continues.
"We have all felt heartache and have even been heartsick. We've suffered when our heart's desires were not fulfilled and been bewildered by those who are heartless. Our own hearts rally for the lionhearted and yearn with the Tin Man in his desperation for a heart. We see wellness in the heartland and know instinctively that home is where the heart is."
But like any other parts of the body, your heart is vulnerable to breakdowns. Heart problems may vary widely in their nature and severity. They may be transient or chronic, slow-developing or sudden, inconvenient or deadly.
In a report released by the World Health Organization (WHO) recently, researchers call cardiovascular disease (CVD) an urgent threat to global health and predict that by 2020, it will become the leading cause of death and disability worldwide.
The report, "A Race Against Time: The Challenge of Cardiovascular Disease in Developing Economies," said that heart disease and stroke kill nearly 17 million
people around the world each year. Eighty percent of CVD deaths occur in low and middle-income countries. CVD deaths occur among people of working age (35-64).
In the Philippines, over 50 percent of its CVD deaths occur in these ages. In industrialized countries, CVD is the principal cause of death. Developing countries are not spared; in fact, they are catching up. If no action is taken
in developing countries, so goes the report, aging populations that have adopted poor lifestyle choices seen in industrialized countries, will face an "intolerable burden" of death, disability, and economic loss.
A 20-year window is now open to take action to curb heart disease in developing countries, according to the report. This opportunity exists because developing countries with emerging robust economies generally have younger populations that have yet to experience actual heart disease--although risk factors are mounting. "During these 20 years... there will be a period when (cardiovascular disease) is causing its principal social problems among those of working age," the report said.
More than 50 percent of deaths and disability from heart disease and strokes can be cut by a combination of simple, cost effective national efforts and individual actions to reduce major risk factors, according to the "World Health Report 2002: Reducing Risks, Promoting Healthy Life."
Major cardiovascular risks include high blood pressure, high cholesterol, tobacco, obesity, physical inactivity and low consumption of fruits and vegetables. High blood pressure alone causes about 50 percent of CVD around the world. Cholesterol causes about one-third.
Inactive lifestyles, tobacco use and low fruit and vegetable intake account for 20 percent each. (These percentages add up to more than 100 percent because some risks overlap. One individual could be at risk from cholesterol alone, while another could be at risk from cholesterol and blood pressure together.)
Estimates showed about nine million deaths and more than 75 million lost healthy life years annually due to unfavorable levels of blood pressure or cholesterol.
The WHO report said that 10-30 percent of adults in almost all countries suffer from high blood pressure, but a further 50-60 percent would be in better health
if they had lower blood pressure. Even small reductions in blood pressure for this "silent majority" would reduce their hearth attack and stroke risk. A very similar pattern occurs for cholesterol.
"The global disease burden due to blood pressure is twice as much as previously thought," commented Dr. Gro Harlem Brundtland, who was still the WHO head when the report was released. "This reflects recent findings on how strongly blood pressure is linked to disease in many diverse populations around the globe and the realization that most people have sub-optimal levels."
(September 23, 2004 issue)
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