World Heart Day will be observed around the globe today with a call to create awareness to prevent cardiovascular diseases among women and children.
The common perception about the condition is that it is a disease of the men and of the elderly that denies the statistics showing almost half of the 17.3 million annual deaths from the condition occur in women.
Children are particularly at risk, since they have little control over their environment and can have limited choice to live healthily, said the health experts.
Physicians said the number of people suffering from cardiovascular diseases is increasing in the country with more people with cardiac ailments visiting the hospitals.
About 70 lakh people die every year across the world from hypertension, which is a major cause of heart disease and around 150 crore people are suffering from hypertension, according to the data provided by the National Heart Foundation of Bangladesh.
According to the WHO, the risk factors for heart disease and stroke are rise in blood pressure, cholesterol and glucose levels, smoking habit, eating less fruit and vegetables, obesity and physical inactivity.
Officials of National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases said they receive patients more with chest pain than other complaints and observed that such patients are increasing mostly because of erratic lifestyle.
Smoking, alcoholism, lack of physical activity, fast food consumption, too much tension and unhealthy workplace are the main cause of cardiovascular diseases, experts say.
Proper food, physical exercise and staying stress free are the ways to avoid heart ailments, the physicians suggest.
The National Heart Foundation of Bangladesh will hold a procession staring from Mirpur Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium and end at National Heart Foundation Hospital today.
They will also organise a heart camp at the hospital from 8:30am to 11:30am.
A seminar will be held at its auditorium at 9:00am.
-With New Age input
