Hyderabad: Forty six per cent of Indians who suffer heart failure die within a year, according to a new study. The finding is part of the global International Congestive Heart Failure Study, conducted by cardiologists on 5,823 patients in 108 centres in Africa, India, South East Asia, China and South America. The patients – 60 per cent men and 40 per cent women – were followed up for six months.
The study found that heart failure patients in India, Africa and South East Asia were approximately 10 years younger than those in South America and China. The mean age for heart failure was 59 years in India.
The researchers concluded that the general population in India does not understand the disease properly and heart failure is often confused with cardiac arrest.
“Cardiac arrest is when the heart is not functioning properly but there is a scope to rectify it; heart failure is a potentially life-threatening condition in which the heart is unable to pump enough blood around the body,” explained senior cardiologist Dr M. Srinivas Rao.
Cases of heart failure remain undetected or under diagnosed due to low awareness, inaccurate diagnosis and ineffective treatment protocols.
“Rising levels of obesity, unhealthy diets and sedentary lifestyles are major factors for increasing instances of cardiovascular diseases”, senior cardiologist Dr Shiv Kumar says. Some three crore Indians suffer from coronary artery disease — a condition in which the arteries that supply blood to the heart muscle harden or narrow — and nearly 30 lakh people suffer heart attack every year.
For a healthy heart
- Eat healthy fats, avoid trans-fats.
- Maintain a physically active lifestyle
- Do not sit continuously for long periods
- Watch your weight regularly
- Maintain a proper sleep routine
- Avoid exposure to second-hand smoke
- Manage your stress levels
