Hypertension is the leading cause of death in India, say doctors at Columbia Asia

Most hypertensive people not undergoing treatment
· Diet and exercise help to maintain blood pressure levels
· Hypertension and Fatty Liver – Double whammy for people these days
Patiala: India has earned the title of being the Cardiac disease capital in the world. About 33% urban and 25% rural Indians are hypertensive. Of these, 25% rural and 42% urban Indians are aware of their hypertensive status. Only 25% rural and 38% of urban Indians are being treated for hypertension. One-tenth of rural and one-fifth of urban Indian hypertensive population have their BP under control.

It is a well acknowledged fact today that India is grappling with a cardiovascular disease epidemic which has overtaken communicable diseases to become the leading cause of deaths among Indians. Doctors at Columbia Asia Hospital, Patiala, say most heart ailments can be prevented, or at least their impact can be controlled with regular preventive screenings, timely diagnosis and appropriate medical intervention.

Dr. Deepak Katyal - Consultant Cardiology, Columbia Asia Hospital, Patiala, says, “Multiple factors contribute to the risk of cardiac ailments, starting from high blood pressure and cholesterol, obesity, hypertension and stress, diabetes, to smoking and alcohol consumption. The key to prevent cardiovascular disease is managing the risk factors such as high blood pressure, cholesterol, and high blood glucose. Unfortunately, many of us tend to neglect heart health until we experience a critical episode such as heart attack or stroke. Prevention is crucial because in many cases even first-time heart attacks are fatal. To understand the risk factors that are affecting you, it is extremely important to undergo screening tests”.

Hypertension is a leading cause of death and disability due to heart attacks and stroke. Notably, a large number of stroke patients suffer from paralysis and have to lead restricted lives. Unfortunately, awareness about the need for regular blood pressure screening is low. A large number of people stop treatment on their own without doctor’s advice. This can be life-threatening. Apart from treatment, taking preventive measures like obesity reduction, increasing physical activity, and decreasing salt intake will help you. Doctor’s advice hypertension patients to follow the DASH diet to reduce their blood pressure levels.
“DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet is a lifelong approach to healthy eating that's designed to help treat or prevent hypertension. It encourages people to reduce the sodium in their diet and eat a variety of foods rich in nutrients that help lower blood pressure, such as potassium, calcium and magnesium. The human body requires about half a gram of sodium per day to regulate the fluid balance of cells and plasma. The maximum amount of sodium that should be incorporated into a healthy diet should range from 2,400-3,000 mg/day”, says Dr. Deepak Katyal.

“The accumulation of fat in the liver, or "fatty liver," resulting from the accumulation of central body fat, and perhaps not alcohol consumption, may represent an important underlying mechanism for the association between liver enzymes and hypertension. Fatty liver has no symptoms, but it can develop into the chronic conditions of hepatitis or cirrhosis if not diagnosed in time. Hypertensive individuals with fatty livers tend to have higher glucose levels, body mass indices, and insulin resistance as compared to hypertensive individuals without fatty livers”, adds Dr. Katyal.

Starting 25 years of age, you should get checked every year to make sure your blood pressure is in the range of 120/80. If the reading is higher, you may have to get checked more often and should also be screened for diabetes.
Columbia Asia Hospitals strongly believes that focusing on treatment is no longer the only option; equal emphasis needs to be put on preventive education to cultivate ‘heart healthy environment’.