Dubai Health Authority launches World Heart Day campaign

The authority is educating the public about the importance of creating a healthy environment at their homes and workplaces but making simple healthy choices.

A total of 1,500 people were admitted to Rashid Hospital for cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) in 2013, of whom more than 900 people were admitted due to heart attacks, according to statistics issued by the Dubai Health Authority (DHA) ahead of World Heart Day. Fifty-five per cent of these patients were less than 55 years of age.

Dr Hanan Obaid explains to Essa Al Maidoor the difference between a normal lung and a smoker’s lung. — Supplied photo

Essa Al Maidoor, Director-General of the DHA, on Wednesday inaugurated the World Heart Day campaign 2014. The campaign is aimed to reach out to the public to educate them about the importance of lifestyle modifications to avoid developing CVDs.

Adopting this year’s global theme of the World Heart Federation, ‘Creating heart-healthy environments’, the authority is educating the public about the importance of creating a healthy environment at their homes and workplaces but making simple healthy choices such as keeping healthy food handy, drinking lots of water, tobacco cessation etc.

“Globally, CVD is known to be the leading cause of mortality and eighty per cent of premature deaths due to CVD are preventable if people follow a healthy diet, exercise regularly, avoid tobacco and undertake regular health screenings,” said Al Maidoor.

“Therefore, awareness campaigns to reach out to the public are essential, especially to tackle lifestyle related diseases. It is emotionally, financially and medically beneficial for family members to make heart-healthy choices rather than suffer from the consequences of heart disease.”

As part of this campaign, DHA cardiologists and specialists conducted free tests for blood sugar, blood pressure, BMI, full lipid profile and HBAIC (three month average blood sugar test). After the results of the tests are obtained, DHA physicians provide free consultation for visitors.

The campaign will take place across different venues in Dubai including hospitals and labour accommodation clusters to reach out to the community.

Dr Fahad Baslaib, Head of the Cardiology Department at Rashid Hospital, said: “A majority of the cases of CVDs can be prevented by following a healthy lifestyle and avoiding tobacco.

“We find that a significant number of young people are being admitted in our hospitals for CVDs. If we analyse our registries, we have a significant number of patients in their early 30s and 40s with heart attacks; this figure is 10 years younger than the average global age.”

Dr Nooshin Bazargani, cardiologist at Dubai Hospital, said, “The UAE has a high prevalence of diabetes, obesity and hypertension — all factors that can trigger heart attacks. Given these statistics and the fact that people are still hooked on to unhealthy foods and do not exercise regularly, we have an issue at hand.”

Dr Hanan Obaid, Head of the Acute and Chronic Diseases Unit at the DHA PHC sector, stressed the importance of regular screening, saying the first screening should begin at 20 years and should include blood pressure, blood sugar, lipid profile and BMI screening.

“If any of the results are abnormal, screening should be frequent. If the results are normal, cholesterol needs to be screened once every five years and blood pressure every two years,” she said. After the age of 35, cholesterol, blood sugar and blood pressure should be tested at least once every year because in this region heart diseases occur at a younger age. If results are abnormal, screening should be more frequent.

asmaalizain@khaleejtimes.com