Number 1 killer

Doctors say 20 J'cans die every day from heart-related diseases

BY PAUL HENRY Observer staff reporter henryp@jamaicaobserver.com

Tuesday, August 31, 2010

THINK of all the things that can cause the death of a person -- from the simple slip and fall, to accidents, various forms of illnesses and murder. Add them, and they would still be dwarfed by the number of Jamaicans who die annually from complications related to cardiovascular illnesses, doctors from the Heart Institute of the Caribbean (HIC) told the weekly Observer Monday Exchange yesterday.

According to the doctors, cardiovascular disease (CVD) kills 20 Jamaicans every day. That works out to 7,300 people annually.

A staggering 50 per cent of hospital deaths are cardiovascular-related, added Dr Dainia Baugh, president of the HIC.

"If you stack up every cause of death — that's murder, to 'I tripped and fell and hit my head', you add HIV, add driving too fast and running off the road, you add 'I was pregnant and had a complication', pneumonia... If you add pretty much every cause of death that we know of, you will never reach the number of people that die from just cardiovascular diseases," said Dr Baugh.

In light of this fact, Dr Baugh is urging Jamaicans to get tested at an early age so they can be treated for any problem before it is too late. "You can be a day old and have problems, and you can be 105 and have problems," said Dr Baugh, noting that heart-related illnesses can hit at any stage of life.

Dr Baugh said that there are now more cases of people suffering from cardiovascular-related illnesses, such as blockages, in the 50s and 60s age group. She said also that there are persons in their 30s experiencing problems of the heart not relaxing after a beat as it should.

According to Dr Baugh, they are now seeing more cases of men getting heart attacks before they get to age 55 years, which had been a rear occurrence in the past. This, she said, is a deviation from international standards.

Dr Baugh said the cases being seen now should be occurring in people in their 70s, noting that the goal was to revert to that stage through public education campaigns and early screening.

Given the gravity of the situation, Dr Baugh, as well as Dr Edwin Tulloch-Reid, expressed disappointment that treatment for heart-related illnesses is the least funded in Jamaica.

The conditions that qualify as heart disease include coronary heart disease, heart attack, congestive heart failure and congenital heart disease. Risk factors for heart disease, according to information provided by the HIC Foundation, are smoking, high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, obesity, physical inactivity and diabetes, which is also a prevalent illness among Jamaicans.

In addition to exercise, a healthy diet — including a lower salt and fat intake -- is key to warding off heart-related complications. It is recommended that we consume more fish, vegetables, fruits, whole grain and legumes. If there is a need for added fats, it is recommended that we use those high in monounsaturated fats for example olive and peanut oils.

Dr Baugh said also that there is a need to cut the obesity rate among children as 20 per cent of overweight kids in Jamaica are diabetic, which increases their predisposition to heart diseases.

Seventy-one per cent of all diabetics die from cardiovascular disease, according to Dr Baugh. Statistics show that one of five Jamaicans is diabetic, according to Dr Baugh, who said that the number is set to triple in another five years and rise again by 2025.

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