The World Heart Day will be observed today in Bangladesh as elsewhere with the call to create awareness at home to prevent heart diseases.
This year the theme of the day is ‘One World, One Home, One Heart.’
Physicians said that the number of people suffering from cardio-vascular diseases is increasing in the country day by day, and more people with heart-related ailments are visiting the hospitals.
Cardio-vascular diseases claim around 17.3 million lives a year worldwide, according to the World Health Organisation.
About 70 lakh people die every year throughout the world from hypertension, which is a major cause of heart diseases, and about 150 crore people are suffering from hypertension, according to National Heart Foundation of Bangladesh.
The factors that lead to heart disease and stroke include higher blood pressure, cholesterol and glucose levels, smoking, inadequate intake of fruis and vegetables, overweight, obesity and physical inactivity, according to the WHO.
The resident physician of the National Institute of Cardio-Vascular Diseases, Kajal Kumar Karmakar, said that they receive patients suffering from various types of heart disease. ‘But most of the patients who come to us complain of pain in the chest.’
Non-communicable diseases are constantly increasing in the country, he said, and more people are falling victims to heart disease due to change of their lifestyles and Western food habits.
Medical science says that smoking, over-drinking, luxurious life, unhealthy food habits, excessive tension and working in unhealthy atmosphere are the main reasons of cardio-vascular diseases.
Karmakar said that people should control their weight with physical exercise and remain stress-free to avoid heart diseases.
People should not take excessive salt as it is one of the major reasons of hypertension, say doctors. They point out that smoking and consumption of unhealthy and junk food should be avoided.
The NICVD and Cardiac Society of Bangladesh will organise a procession at 9:00am today to mark the World Heart Day.
The National Heart Foundation of Bangladesh will also bring out a procession from Mirpur Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium to the National Heart Foundation Hospital.
A free ‘heart camp’ will also be organised at the hospital from 8:30am to 12:00 noon.
The foundation will also hold a seminar at 10am in its auditorium.
The World Heart Federation, in partnership with the WHO, has organised awareness events in more than a 100 countries, which will include health checks, organised walks, runs and fitness sessions, public talks, stage shows, scientific roundtables, exhibitions, concerts, carnivals and sports tournaments.