FW: Hypertension more deadly in young people, warn doctors

[YM-UAE-FIN SAJITH]

Hypertension more deadly in young people, warn doctors

Stress and unhealthy lifestyles chief causes of increase in the disease

Dubai: If you are young and have a heart attack, most probably you will not reach the hospital. It will be sudden death, doctors warned.

Speaking to Gulf News on World Hypertension Day yesterday, doctors called for drastic lifestyle changes in order not to become a statistic. The theme of the day was: "Know your numbers, target your blood pressure".

More younger people are having heart attacks today and they are unlike older patients whose blood capillary system has built "side-roads" over a period of time, said Dr. Ahmad Gabroun, specialist cardiologist, Canadian hospital. "When younger people have a heart attack the blood and oxygen supply is cut off immediately."

The heart doctor said though there is a large number of people under-going angioplasty and bypass surgery in the UAE, "we are just seeing a fifth of the reality". Many are dying before they reach a hospital, he said.

Another top heart doctor in Dubai, Dr. Girishchandra Varma, specialist cardiologist at Belhoul Specialist Hospital, said hypertension is a silent killer.

"By the time you go to the GP to check out why you are getting headaches, the dizziness, the blurring of vision, it is too late," he said.

Regular check-ups

The cardiologist is calling on everyone over 40 years to get a physical every year. "Open a file and record your numbers. If the blood pressure is high, don't panic. Check it for a week," he advises.

He said the blood pressure should ideally be 120/80, but it can go up a bit as you age. If there is a family history of heart attacks and strokes, you should be even more careful, he said.

Simply put, blood pressure is the pressure of blood within the arteries. It is produced by the contraction of the heart muscle.

Dr. Varma said hypertension is becoming endemic because of work stress, bad dietary habits and smoking.

People from the subcontinent are more prone to heart attacks than people from the West, he said.

"Asian live for their children and grandchildren and to secure wealth for their offspring," he said. Meaning that they put themselves under more stress.

Dr. Gabroun suggested that even the BP of school children be checked periodically. "Go to any class and what do you see? Obese chidldren," he said. "Hypertension is not a disease of older people."

Doctor's prescription:

• Stop smoking
• Exercise daily
• Or go for a brisk 45-minute walk
• Cut down salt
• Eat fresh fruits and vegetables
• Cut down fast food
• Learn to relax