‘Hypertensive patients must consult doctors for Ramazan precautions’

Hypertensive patients should consult with their doctors to adjust medicines while fasting in Ramazan as a change in the eating pattern requires a change in the medicines as well, said cardiologist Dr Fawad Farooq.

Cardiologists and health experts addressed a news conference on the occasion of World Hypertension Day 2017 at the Karachi Press Club (KPC) on Wednesday.

They maintained that hypertension was a silent killer disease and it was the major cause of heart attack, stroke and kidney-related diseases, including acute renal failure. However, it can be avoided, or managed, through adopting healthy lifestyle, regular exercise, reducing salt, sugar and fat in diet, they added.

They maintained that people who are forty years old or above should regularly monitor their blood pressure and keep a record of it. The theme of the World Hypertension Day 2017 is “Know Your Numbers”.

The press conference was addressed by office-bearers of the Pakistan Islamic Medical Association (PIMA) and cardiologists from the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD). The participants included Karachi PIMA president Dr Atif Hafeez, Prof Sohail Akhtar, cardiologist Dr Ahmed Salman Ghauri and Prof Fawad Farooq from the NICVD.

A health screening camp was also held at KPC to check blood pressure, sugar level, cholesterol level and the body mass index (BMI) of the working journalists, who were also provided with medical advice by the doctors and cardiologists at the camp.

Ironically, 50 percent journalists screened at the camp were found hypertensive, while around 70 percent of them were found to be overweight. The cholesterol level of around 50 percent journalists was also high.  

Speaking at the presser, cardiologist Dr Fawad Farooq said hypertension was an asymptomatic disease and, therefore, people did not consult with doctors for its management.

The patients come to know about developing hypertension when they suffer from serious complications, he said.

“Sedentary lifestyle, lack of exercise, excessive use of salt, fat-rich diet and sugar are some of the major causes of hypertension,” he said, adding that hypertension was the leading cause of heart attacks, stroke and renal failure in addition to several other life-threatening and fatal diseases.

According to him, around 40 percent of the Pakistan’s adult population was hypertensive due to their sedentary lifestyle and bad eating habits. He also termed smoking a major risk factor and cause of hypertension.

Cardiologist Dr Ahmed Salman Ghauri said May 17 was being observed to create awareness about the lethal health condition known as hypertension, which can’t be observed or checked physically. “It’s an asymptomatic disease and it can be proved fatal for people in their productive years of age.”

Urging the media to spread awareness about this lethal condition, he urged people to pay attention to doctors’ advice, adopt healthy lifestyle, take a proper sleep and eat healthy to remain fit. Former PIMA president Prof Sohail Akhtar said the PIMA in collaboration with the Al-Khidmat Foundation has set up 41 medical camps across the country and took organised rallies, walks and sessions to create awareness about hypertension.

“What PIMA and Al-Khidmat are doing is not enough in countries like Pakistan. The media should join and support us in spreading awareness. Nowadays, people are listening more to media persons,” he added.

He also offered the print and electronic media the PIMA’s help in doing special features and programmes on different diseases, saying they had a number of world renowned experts who could help people know about various diseases and their preventive measures.

Karachi PIMA president Dr Atif Hafeez Siddiqui said they would continue holding awareness activities in Pakistan as the prevailing healthcare system was not capable of serving the entire population.