44% of Women Who Suffered Cardiovascular Disease were Obese, Finds PGIMER Study
Contrary to the common belief that heart diseases impact both women and men equally, risk factors of heart diseases are much more common in women, and women with heart diseases have worse outcomes than men, with data from the previous three years from the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) showing 13-15 percent of women who suffered from cardiovascular diseases (CVD) were less than 50 years of age.
A recent study, says Dr Neelam Dahiya, Assistant Professor, Department of Cardiology, PGI, Chandigarh, shows 44 per cent of women who suffered cardiovascular disease were obese and only one percent of them had adequate fruits and vegetables (minimum two fruits, and three vegetables) intake in their daily diet. “Women also had poor awareness about heart disease and associated risk factors. Despite these known facts, knowledge sharing and awareness about risk factors from healthcare workers is minimal. Only 47 percent of the women were advised to reduce salt intake and less than 30 percent were suggested to quit smoking and consume a healthy diet,” Dr Dahiya said.
“These statistics highlight the urgent need to create awareness about CVD risks among women and take preventive measures to combat this growing concern,” said Dr Dahiya at a CME on women’s health and cardiovascular awareness held on Saturday.
Cardiovascular diseases pose a high risk to individuals with obesity, sedentary lifestyle, stress, hypertension, and diabetes in India. The long-term prognosis of women with heart disease is not good, for women who present with heart disease have a 50 percent higher chance of mortality, and 40 percent of women die because of heart disease in the country.
“Our study of Chandigarh women revealed as many as 10 percent of women with CVD were below 40. This is an alarming situation,” said Dr Dahiya, adding high intake of salt, smoking, unhealthy diet, and lack of exercise, among others, are the leading causes of CVD.
Considering these alarming facts, Dr Dahiya said, the faculty realised the already burdened healthcare workers need a helping hand to prevent heart disease so, it is imperative to upgrade existing knowledge among non-medical skilled professionals so that they can act as health promoters.
“At PGI, we are all set to start a preventive clinic for risk assessment, wherein we will use risk estimation tools that are available according to age, obesity, hypertension, activity level, family history, diabetes, etc, and offer interventions to prevent CVD. People with South Asian ethnicity are more susceptible to heart disease and other risk factors in women are pregnancy, and stress. With an improved lifestyle, 80 percent of non-communicable diseases can be prevented. Also, as compared to the Western population, we have less physical activity and an unhealthy diet, and the body fat in Indians is higher than the Westerners despite the same BMI,” added the doctor.
Stress is one of the major risks of heart disease in India. In a busy schedule and highly competitive work life, practical ways to reduce stress include proper time management, yoga and a positive outlook.
“Obesity is almost a pandemic and is increasing in women as compared to men. Obesity leads to many diseases like heart failure, blood clotting and diabetes,” said Dr Rama Walia of the Department of Endocrinology, PGI, who discussed the adverse outcomes and also the management of obesity.
“As shown in various studies, Indians consume more salt and sugar and less vegetables and fruits. Increased intake of water, a full plate of salad before a meal, and eating more protein in every meal, are some of the important measures. A glass of water can take care of false hunger, so aim for three servings of fruits and three vegetables a day, drink diluted lassi, which is good for the gut flora, and has antioxidants. Carbs, calories, sugar and trans fats are a major cause of obesity. Long hours of sitting and less movement also contribute to excess weight, and in turn, CVD,” Dr Walia added.
A sedentary lifestyle, added experts, is the root cause of all risk factors of cardiovascular disease such as hypertension and obesity, and today’s demanding work schedule leads to inevitable stress that brings unhealthy sleep habits in people.
“We need several measures to combat this rising rate of heart disease and it needs collective effort,” Dr. Dahiya summed up.
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