Stress on prevention in fighting heart disease

Prevention is key in reducing the chances of heart disease that last year was the cause of one in every five deaths, Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Department head Charmaine Gauci said.

Just as we should not only care for our loved ones on Valentine's Day we should look after our heart all year round and not just on World Heart Day, which will be celebrated tomorrow, Dr Gauci said as she stressed the importance of leading a healthy lifestyle.

While there are certain risk factors - such as genetics, age and gender - that one cannot control, people can reduce the chances of heart disease by not smoking, eating healthily, exercising, monitoring their health and complying to the medication prescribed by doctors.

Last year, she explained, there were 651 deaths related to heart disease of which 362 were men and 289 women.

While most people who died of chronic heart disease were older, when one looked at deaths from acute myocardial infarction (caused by poor blood circulation to the heart) it was alarming to note that this included a higher number of men aged between 35 and 45.

As people's life expectancy increased, Dr Gauci said, it was predicted that so would the rate of heart problems unless something was done. For this reason the department pressed on encouraging a healthier lifestyle.

A closer look at the risk factors showed that when it came to hypertension (high blood pressure) there was the need to educate people on the importance of compliance with treatment as a 2005 study showed that 73 per cent of patients did not comply.

When it came to cholesterol levels, screening and compliance also played an important role as the last Health Interview Survey showed that 40.3 per cent of the population never measure their cholesterol levels.

Department principal health promotion officer Marianne Massa outlined the role and initiatives aimed at raising awareness and educating the public on various topics linked to a healthier lifestyle.

As she touched on initiatives in the pipeline, these included a campaign to reduce salt intake, a national five-a-day initiative encouraging the intake of more fruit and vegetables and the strengthening of the tobacco legislation by including pictorial warnings.

The message, she said, is to get active, eat more fruit and vegetables, use less salt and avoid processed food, maintain a healthy weight, quit smoking and contact the Health Promotion Unit through its hotlines if needed. The Parliamentary Secretary for Health, Joe Cassar, said heart problems are increasing all over the world and are a growing concern for all governments.

The government had invested heftily in addressing heart disease by raising awareness about healthier lifestyles, encouraging people to get their blood pressure checked and promoting better eating and exercise.

All this, he said, would lead to a healthier Malta with a happier population that was more productive and, therefore, to less expenditure on disease. The Health Department can be reached on 2122 1897 for information about smoking, 2124 2862 for nutrition and 2123 1247 for sexual health.