| Hypertension, high cholesterol, obesity increase heart attack risk among elderly: HOD cardiology | | |  Early Times Report
JAMMU, Apr 3: Head Department of Cardiology in Government Medical College and Superspeciality Hospital (GMC&SSH) Dr. Sushil Sharma 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. Paramedics and Volunteers who were part of the team included Kamal Kishore, Kashmiri Lal, Sanjay Sharma, Mohan Krishan, Balwan Rathore, Harvinder Singh, Lokesh, Vikas Kumar, Aman Gupta and Rahul Tickoo. The team worked as one unit, making the camp a huge success.
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