CEBU – The Department of Health has reported that cardiovascular disease is now labeled as the new epidemic and still the number one cause of death today.
Dr. Jeanette Pauline Cortes, non-communicable section head of the DOH regional office, said cardiovascular disease is a condition affecting the heart and blood vessels that include coronary heart disease.
“This is described as a number of conditions caused by atherosclerosis of the arteries to the heart,” she said.
Cortes has encouraged the public to start a healthier lifestyle even at a young age to prevent heart-related diseases, especially Coronary Artery Disease which ranked as the highest reasons of mortality in the DOH list.
She said the disease is caused by plaque building up along the inner walls of the arteries of the heart which narrows the lumen of arteries and reduces blood flow to the heart.
The traditional risk factors of coronary artery disease are high or low cholesterol, high blood pressure, family history, diabetes, smoking, being post-menopausal for women and being older than 45 for men, she said.
Majority of Filipinos are prone to cardiovascular diseases such as heart disease because of physical inactivity, smoking, obesity, hypertension and diabetes, Cortes said, adding, based on April 2011 data, the World Health Organization recorded 57,864 deaths in the Philippines caused by the disease.
According to Cortes, the disease is preventable by practicing healthy living lifestyle. The public should stay away from smoking and drinking. Smoking and too much alcohol are big factors of heart diseases.
Malyn Fernandez, DOH-7 healthy lifestyle program coordinator, also said there are some ways to reduce the risk of having heart disease by quitting smoking, improve cholesterol levels, controlling high blood and diabetes, exercising regularly and doing some physical activities, eat green and leafy vegetables and food, achieve and maintain a healthy weight and manage stress.
Fernandez said people should stick to a diet that is low in fat and cholesterol because fats may clog blood vessels and make it harder for the blood to send oxygen to vital organs. (PIA)
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