Cardiac diseases are alarmingly on the rise in Qatar, with the Heart Hospital at the Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) seeing as many as 10,500 patients last year.
The figure sheds light on lifestyle and unhealthy eating habits of the people in Qatar, the HMC said yesterday.
“In the past two years the number of admissions for heart attacks and heart failures has been on the increase, with about 4,000 patients seen every year.
“Alarmingly, these are not inclusive of the patients we see at the outpatient department or those who come for re-check-ups,” Dr A A Gehani, Chairman of Cardiology at the Heart Hospital, said in a statement yesterday on the occasion of World Heart Day.
Surprisingly, about 30 per cent of Qatari patients who underwent angiogram at the Heart Hospital were women. Women with diabetes are prone to more severe heart problems than diabetic men.
“At the Heart Hospital we target specific groups, especially young children, women and pregnant women with heart diseases.
“Findings show that these groups have not been paid as much attention due to an assumption that they are not as vulnerable to heart problems as men.
“However, women are not only at a high risk but also found to have worse complications than their male counterparts,” said Gehani.
According to the World Heart Federation, cardiovascular diseases cause about 17.3 million deaths each year.
This year women and children are the focus of World Heart Day. The theme has been designed to promote healthier and more conscious lifestyle choices for the whole family.
Contrary to popular belief, men and women are affected by cardiovascular diseases, with worldwide statistics indicating that one in every three women is diagnosed with heart disease.
Lack of physical activity, unhealthy diet and smoking are some of the major risk factors leading to heart diseases.
Children have also become increasingly vulnerable to heart diseases due to the same reasons.
To reduce the risk of heart diseases, the federation is urging people to make simple changes to their lifestyle, such as increasing physical activity, eating a healthy diet of fresh fruits and vegetables, quitting smoking and visiting a healthcare professional to determine blood pressure, cholesterol level, weight and body mass index.
This information is fundamental to developing a healthy lifestyle, said the HMC.
http://thepeninsulaqatar.com/qatar/255234-cardiac-diseases-on-the-rise.html
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