REMAIN VIGILANT FROM THE `SILENT KILLER'

• Fortis Hospital, Ludhiana organises Public Awareness Camp on Hypertension, the ‘Silent Killer’
• 450 screened during the event to ‘Know Their Number’ on the eve of World Hypertension Day
Ludhiana, May 17, 2017: Fortis Hospital, Ludhiana organized a health awareness camp to talk about hypertension & create awareness about it among people in general here today. In consonance with the theme of the day, as many as 450 numbers underwent checkups to ‘know their numbers.’ Dr Sandeep Chopra, Senior Consultant, Cardiology, Fortis Hospital spoke about various aspects of prevention and care of hypertensive patients. The event was started with an “Aardas” (prayer) & lamp lighting by Dr Chopra and Dr Vivan Singh Gill, Facility Director, DR. Rajiv Kundra, Medical Superintendent, Fortis Hospital Ludhiana.

Hypertension is a precarious condition where the heart pumps blood more than normal. Although there are no specific symptoms of hypertension, there are some symptoms like headache, shortness of breath, dizziness, chest pain, palpitation of heart and nose bleeds. The causes of hypertension can be as varied as family history, advanced age, or women in their post-menopausal changes. While these causes are non-modifiable, there are causes like lack of physical activity, poor diet, obesity, heavy consumption of alcohol, stress etc. that can be modified to control one’s hypertension.

During the question and answer session, Dr Sandeep Chopra responded to a question of reasons for hypertension and said, “Hypertension is a direct result of our sedentary lifestyle. It is one of the most important causes of cardiovascular death in our country. With proper control over one’s lifestyle and medications if advised by a specialist, we can successfully control this condition. It is essential that we ensure a healthy diet with some regular exercise to keep it under check.”

If a person’s systolic blood pressure is consistently 140 mm Hg or higher and diastolic blood pressure is 90 mm Hg or higher, then the person is identified as hypertensive. According to World Health Organization (WHO), the incidence of hypertension in urban population is around 40% and rural around 18%. It is known as the ‘Silent Killer’ as most hypertensive patients don’t have any visible symptom.

Dr Chopra further added, “Hypertension is the major reason for Cardio Vascular Diseases (CVDs) and brain strokes. With high pressure flow of blood, it causes strain in the blood vessels. Over a period of time, this weakens the vessels. It may also narrow the vessels that may result in blood clotting. If one is susceptible to hypertension, then it is important to consult a doctor immediately.”

According to Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) studies, more than half of hypertensive Indians are not aware of this condition. Hypertension occurs in 25 to 30% of middle aged individuals in urban and 15 to 20% in rural areas of the country. The Prospective Urban Rural Epidemiology (PURE) study has reported that hypertension prevalence in South Asian adults aged 35-70 year varies from 30.7 per cent in India. The Global Burden of Disease projected that a total of 29.2% of the total global population will have this condition by 2025. The number of adults with hypertension in 2025 was predicted to increase by about 60% to a total of 1.56 billion (1.54-1.58 billion).