Shape up to ensure a heart for life

With less than a week to go before countries around the globe get together to mark World Heart Day, two Maltese doctors yesterday launched an appeal for people to take care of their health in order to avoid cardiac problems.

A staggering 46 per cent of deaths in Malta are due to circulatory problems, including heart disease and stroke, 2000 statistics show.

Consultant diabetologist Joseph Azzopardi and cardiology services chairman Albert Fenech urged people to check their blood pressure, cholesterol levels and blood sugar frequently.

Speaking during a press conference yesterday, the two professors said the three conditions usually do not manifest themselves until they have caused substantial damage to the sufferer.

This year, World Heart Day which will be marked on Sunday, stresses the importance of keeping a healthy weight and a healthy shape "for a heart for life".

The World Heart Federation said that throughout the world there are more overweight than underfed women, adding that if weight is carried around the abdomen, a person is likely to have a heart attack between four and eight years before he would, were he not carrying the extra weight.

According to recent data, a waist circumference of 94 centimetres or more in European men and more than 80 centimetres in European women is considered problematic because it can lead to heath problems later on in life. A person who has more fat around his abdominal organs will be more susceptible to high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes, three conditions which might lead to cardiovascular problems.

Prof. Fenech said it is better to have some fat on one's buttocks than on the stomach. However, most people do not know about this, Prof. Azzopardi hastened to add.

"We need to convince people to get rid of their extra fat," he said, adding that obesity was a problem in Malta, especially among children.

Prof. Fenech stressed the importance of awareness, especially among children and parents. He pointed out that children are not as active as they used to be and nowadays spend a lot of time in front of the television and computer monitors apart from eating a lot of fattening snacks.

On the other hand, he continued, parents are important role models for their children and also need to be educated.

Prof. Fenech said it was important to create places where people can exercise, for example footpaths where people can go for a walk without obstructing traffic. He mentioned, too, the importance of authorities promoting healthy food.

The two also mentioned the importance of not smoking. Prof. Fenech said half the children who smoke will suffer from a tobacco-related problem when they are older. About one-third of young people who smoke start when they are under 10 years old, he added.

Moreover, he said, parents who smoke in the presence of their children are exposing them to the same risks as if they smoked themselves. There was no doubt that second-hand smoking was harmful.

Apart from the worry and discomfort that heart disease can cause, treatment is very expensive. Prof. Fenech said a stent used in angioplasty to keep open a vein costs Lm800, adding that about 850 stents are used annually.

A bypass costs between Lm1,500 and Lm1,600. Every year, 550 angioplasties and 500 bypasses are carried out at St Luke's Hospital.

Lucienne Pace, from the Health Promotion Department, said the department offers weight loss advice and has published leaflets providing information about a balanced diet and exercise.

"We encourage people to have regular checkups, especially those who think they are genetically predisposed to some health problems," she said, adding that the department can be reached on 2123 1247.

As part of World Heart Day activities, pharmaceutical company Sanofi Aventis will set up a stand at Freedom Square, in Valletta on Friday between 10 a.m. and midday where they will offer to measure people's abdominal circumference.