New Delhi- Regions across Asia, Europe, Africa, and the Middle East are grappling with a surge in heart-related diseases, marked by soaring mortality rates attributed to high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol, dietary risks, and air pollution, reveals a comprehensive study. The research, conducted by experts from the National Institutes of Health and the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington, analyzed data from 21 regions, uncovering a concerning rise in heart disease-related deaths from 12.4 million in 1990 to 19.8 million in 2022.

The study, published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, sheds light on the global impact of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and emphasizes the role of preventable metabolic, environmental, and behavioral risks contributing to the alarming mortality figures. Researchers noted a significant increase in heart-related deaths in 27 out of the 204 locations studied between 2015 and 2022.

George A. Mensah, Director at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) in the US, emphasized the significance of the 2023 Almanac as a crucial resource for utilizing locally relevant data to guide actions for heart-healthy communities. The research team identified ischemic heart disease as the leading cause of global CVD mortality, with an age-standardized rate of approximately 110 deaths per 100,000 population, followed by brain hemorrhage and ischemic stroke.

The study also highlighted specific regions with elevated mortality rates, attributing high systolic blood pressure to Central Asia, Eastern Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East. Similarly, dietary risks were found to contribute significantly to the heart disease burden in Central Asia, Oceania, and parts of North Africa and the Middle East.

Gregory A. Roth, the senior author of the paper and associate professor at IHME, expressed concern over the persistent challenge of cardiovascular diseases, causing a substantial number of premature and preventable deaths. Eastern Europe recorded the highest total CVD death rates at 553 deaths per 100,000 population, while Australasia exhibited the lowest rates at 122.5 deaths per 100,000 people.

Roth emphasized the existence of cost-effective treatments, the identification and treatment of risk factors, and the promotion of simple, healthy choices to improve overall health. The researchers, part of the Global Burden of Cardiovascular Diseases Collaboration, presented the 2023 publication as an update to the 2022 Global Burden of Diseases (GBD) Study. The Almanac, encompassing data from 204 countries and territories, offers insights into modifiable cardiovascular risk factors, their impact on disease burden, and recent advancements in prevention.

Dr. Gaurav Vivek Sachan (MD Medicine), Diabetes, Hypertension, Cardiac and Heart Surgeon, tells The Mooknayak about heart-related concerns globally, that Nowadays very young children are having heart attacks. There are many reasons behind this. In the present day lifestyle, stress among people has increased to a great extent, and due to stress, the hormones in your body become imbalanced. This causes swelling in the myocardium layer of the heart (one of the three layers of the heart – epicardium, myocardium, and endocardium). Which causes serious heart diseases.

Dr. Gaurav Vivek Sachan says that fast food culture is increasing. People are consuming more spicy food and fried cheese. Apart from this, smoking and alcohol also cause heart problems. Due to all this, the cholesterol level in your blood exceeds the normal range. When the level of cholesterol increases in the blood, cholesterol starts accumulating in your veins. Due to this the veins start becoming thick. As a result, the heart has to do more work to pump. This increases the risk of heart attack.

He also cited people not being physically active as one of the reasons for the increasing heart problems among people. He believes that people's physical labor has reduced a lot. This increases cholesterol and increases the chances of heart attack.

“Post-Corona virus is also a reason for this. Someone almost got infected with Corona. It affected every part of the body. Some people also died due to this. Some even became healthy. Those who have recovered from Corona are facing post-covid complications. Even today we see the effect of Covid in patients who come to us with problems related to breathlessness, heart and lungs”, Dr. Sachan also considers the Covid epidemic as the cause of heart problems.

As a prevention, Dr. Sachan suggests that there should be a balanced diet in your diet. Nowadays sugar has become very common, which reduces the ability of people to fight diseases. Therefore, pay special attention to daily diet. Do not smoke and use alcohol. As far as possible one should eat as little fast food as possible; one should eat home-cooked food. A man should be physically active. Everyone should walk for 25 to 30 minutes, or you can also go to the gym. All this will keep your weight under control. With this you can avoid heart problems.