The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Need to stem increasing rate of heart ailments

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Friday, Sep 26, 2008
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Need to stem increasing rate of heart ailments

Special Correspondent

TAMBARAM: By 2025, 90 per cent of coronary artery diseases will be reported from Asian countries, said cardiologist G.H. Mudge from Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, U.S.

Speaking at a workshop held as part of a continuing medical education programme on mental and surgical management of heart failures at SRM Medical College Hospital in Kattankulathur, Dr. Mudge termed it a huge epidemic at a time when the prevalence of coronary artery diseases had begun to dip in the U.S. and some European nations, while it was beginning to go up in South East Asian and Asian nations.

Men around 35 years of age were the most vulnerable group because of their lifestyle and other problems such as blood pressure, high cholesterol levels and diabetes, apart from junk food, tobacco and lack of exercise.

The need of the hour was to increase awareness of heart diseases and to take the message on ill-effects of smoking and lack of exercise to the masses to prevent an increase in the rate of heart ailments, Dr. Mudge said. Inaugurating the workshop, SRM University Vice-Chancellor P. Sathyanarayanan said the SRM Medical College Hospital would become a centre of excellence in trauma and emergency and in cardiology and cardio vascular treatment.

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