2023-09-30 06:49:25
Every day 280 people who live on Argentine soil they die. The cause of these deaths is Cardio-Vascular Diseases (CVDs), which today constitute the leading cause of mortality in our country.
And also in the world: CVDs are, according to data published by the Statistics Directorate of the Ministry of Health of the Nation, rresponsible for 28% of all deaths in Argentina since practically one in three people dies from these causes.
These and other figures stood out these days from various preventive campaigns since yesterday the “World Heart Day”date instituted to take better care of it.
“Conditions affecting the heart and/or blood vessels are the cause of 20.5 million deaths each year. In other words, a cardiac death is recorded in the world every 17 seconds,” he explained during a recent virtual press conference attended by PROFILEDr. Gerardo Zapata, president of the Argentine Federation of Cardiology (FAC).
But, beyond that reality, the most “strong” thing about these data is that it is estimated that eight out of ten cardiovascular events could be prevented.
World Heart Day: They launch an alert to know the daily risk of cardiac events
As? “If we could adequately control the risk factors associated with the development of CVDs – causes such as smoking, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, overweight, obesity and a sedentary lifestyle – we could change this situation,” said Dr. Hugo Sanabria, cardiologist at the Cardiovascular Institute of Buenos Aires. Of this entire “family” of cardiovascular conditions, the ones that cardiologists “see” most frequently are acute myocardial infarctions: “we have a complete detailed medical record of this subject and from there it emerges that, every year, they occur in our country. around fifty thousand heart attacks,” said Zapata.
Women
Until a few years ago, “popular” knowledge suggested that CVDs were a “men’s thing” and that women’s deaths were basically associated with various types of cancer. This is nothing more than a myth: epistemological statistics show that CVDs affected the female gender more. In fact, in the segment of those over 65 years of age, it was found that 20% more women than men died from cardiovascular causes.
The thing is that, after menopause, the woman “lose” certain cardiac protection that female hormones ensure. “When they reach that vital moment, they are more unprotected than men and this explains why cardiovascular mortality is at least equal and in women it continues to be the main cause of death,” commented Oscar Mendiz, director of the Cardiology Institute of the Foundation. I appreciate it.
Claudio Majul, president of the Argentine Society of Cardiology, chose to highlight the factor that most contributes to the burden of morbidity and mortality of CVDs: “today it is high blood pressure. 9.4 million deaths are attributed to this cause.” And it is an area that is associated with ignorance since one in three people who have hypertension does not know it. And, of those who do know it, only 25% manage to control it efficiently. This is verified in Argentina where the 4th National Survey of Risk Factors conducted found that out of every hundred Argentines, 34 are hypertensive.” In that same section, 29% have high cholesterol, and 22% said they are smokers. But the diagnosis would not be correct if other elements were not noted: 61% of the inhabitants of Argentina suffer from overweight u obesity, a figure that some controlled studies raise to 66% of the population. 12.7% is diabetic (or has high blood glucose), a figure that is also increasing year after year. Then 13.3% recognized the consumption of alcohol “episodic” excessive. And finally, the diet: Only 6% claimed to consume the five daily servings of fruit or vegetables recommended by the Healthy Guides of the World Health Organization.
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Another important point related to the prevention It is the one that highlights the daily work of taking better and better care of yourself versus the annual check-up and then “I forget.” Is it wrong to have a complete cardiovascular checkup? Of course not. But experts detail that “completing studies without adequate criteria from the family doctor does not guarantee good health control. The main thing is the consultation with the specialist who will indicate the pertinent tests,” he suggested. Sergio Baratta, head of Cardiology at the Austral University Hospital. And he added: “taking blood pressure, knowing the eating and sleeping habits, the emotional and spiritual state of the person, their stress, etc., are more important than a multiplicity of studies carried out without a rational medical objective. Therefore, the frequency of the medical evaluation will depend on the age, the clinical history and – above all – the findings made after each consultation.”
Caring cardiologists
With the idea of carrying out specific preventive initiatives, a group of professionals from the Argentine Society of Cardiology (SAC) and the Argentine Cardiological Foundation put together a solidarity program cardiovascular evaluation for preventive purposes. And they aimed to work with members of indigenous populations who live in isolated mountain areas, in the rural areas of northwest Argentina. These groups are usually very far from specialized cardiological health centers and their possibilities of receiving specific medical care are usually limited. The solidarity program is called “Heart Calchaqui”. It is worth remembering that “heart” means “heart” in quechua and this year the third edition is taking place. More than sixty specialists participate in the program, including cardiologists, nurses and students. And these days the group is serving the communities of Cachi (in Salta), Colalao del Valle (in Tucumán) and Fuerte Quemado (in Catamarca). To date, they have already reviewed and evaluated more than five hundred people who undergo blood and urine laboratory tests, an electrocardiogram, a survey on habits and lifestyle, anthropometric measurements and specific studies such as cardiac and arterial echo Doppler. “With Songo we want to ensure that the inhabitants of these remote places can have equal opportunities in terms of cardiovascular health compared to people who live in large cities,” said Sebastián Galdeano, co-director of the program.
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