Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Apr 3: Dr. Sushil Sharma, Head Department of Cardiology in Government Medical College and Superspeciality Hospital (GMC&SSH) today said that Hypertension, dyslipidemia, impaired glucose tolerance and obesity are major risk factors for coronary disease afflicting elderly.
Diabetes is increasing alarmingly in prevalence and operates more powerfully in older women, eliminating their coronary disease resistance. This was stated by Dr. Sushil while interacting with people during a day-long cardiac awareness camp held in Gajansoo village of Marh area of Jammu city in which more than 300 patients were examined, investigated and were given free medicines. He said that dyslipidemia, characterized by a high total to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio, is the most predictive lipid profile for coronary disease in the elderly.
He further said that all the coronary risk factors tend to cluster, and the hazard posed by each is greatly influenced by the burden of coexisting risk factors. High-risk elderly candidates for coronary disease can be efficiently treated provided they reach to the doctor on time, said Dr. Sushil. He further said that with age, the function of the heart is influenced mainly by the decrease in elasticity and the ability to respond to changes in pressure (compliance) of the arterial system.
“The resultant increase in the resistance to the pumping action of the heart thereby increases the work needed to drive the blood to the various organs of the body”, said Dr. Sushil. He added that stiffening of the arteries leads to high blood pressure and, in the elderly especially, the upper (systolic) pressure increases, the lower (diastolic) pressure decreases, and the difference between the two, the pulse pressure, increases. “This is an independent risk factor for developing cardiovascular disorders and one needs to be cautious about it,” said Dr. Sushil.
He stressed that elderly patients (those over the age of 50) should not neglect symptoms, such as shortness of breath, progressive fatigue, heartbeats that are too fast, too slow, or irregular, pain or discomfort in the left chest, or dizziness because all of these symptoms may not be a consequence of age alone but could signify a recently acquired heart condition.
“Although aging itself is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease, we still advocate irrespective of age avoidance of smoking, promotion of physical activity, control of blood pressure, careful hypoglycemic therapy in diabetics, prevention of obesity, and all other measures that promote cardiac health,” said Dr. Sushil.
He maintained that statin therapy to reduce cholesterol has been shown to reduce mortality even if started over the age of 80 years, and in these individuals, lipid levels similar to those in younger persons are targeted. Dr. Sushil further said that exercise may help you maintain your abilities as much as possible, and it reduces stress.
Led by Dr. Sushil, the team of doctors which was part of this effort included Dr. Mohi Kalsotra, Dr. Anitipal Singh, Dr. Achint Singh and Dr. Dhaneshwar Kapoor.
Follow our WhatsApp channel
