Pakistan in recent years has turned into a country with one of the highest ratios of patients suffering from poor cardiovascular health. The heart diseases cause almost 10% of the deaths in the country and the number is on a constant rise ever since. This constant rise in the number of deaths due to heart-borne diseases, primarily heart attacks, is pretty alarming, to say the least. So, let’s take a quick overview of the most common reasons behind the heart attack epidemic situation in the country today.
Poor Eating Habits
As per a report by the Punjab Institute of Cardiology, cardiac arrests are a growing concern for all the cardiologists and nutritionists. This increase in deaths due to heart attacks and other coronary diseases is due to the unhealthy lifestyle and eating habits that are prevalent in our society today. From fried foods that are dripping with low-quality oil to processed foods that are rich in sodium, our eating habit in no way tends to favor our heart. Eating out is the norm where we get to eat nothing but adulterated food. This causes a rise in the cholesterol levels in our body and blocks up our arteries to cause sudden heart attacks. If you think that the eating habits are not something that would be in the best interest of your heart, find the best cardiologist in Lahore today and get yourself assessed while you still have time to rectify the situation.
Also See: 5 Best Cardiologists in Lahore
Inactive Lifestyle
One would expect for someone with eating habits of the kind that have been discussed above to have a fairly active lifestyle but this is not the case with us. Our whole life revolves around a cycle of work-food-sleep only. Instead of walking, we prefer using cars and other means of transport to go around which further limits our physical activity levels. To combat the disastrous effects of the unhealthy food we are in the habit of eating every day of our life, we need to be extra active and incorporate exercise as a regular part of our life. Failing to do so would result in nothing but more number of heart patients in the country in the years to come.
The Stress Factor
The economic and political situation of Pakistan is not hidden from the nation in any way. This constant rise and fall in the factors that affect job security, employment rates, social security, and businesses are the leading causes of stress and tension for the people living here. In order to fulfill their basic necessities and support their lifestyle, most of the people put in extra hours at work leaving very little time for rest and sleep. It eventually begins to take a toll on their lives leaving them more susceptible to coronary diseases.
Tobacco Usage
Since tobacco smoking is legal in our country, we are one of the four countries with the highest ratio of tobacco usage. Tobacco usage is harmful in every way no matter when you start using it. It causes plaque in our arteries and not only affects our lungs and breathing systems but is the leading cause of strokes and heart attacks too.
High Rise In Hypertension and Diabetes
As discussed in “Some of the most common diseases in Pakistan Today”, our generation suffers from unregulated blood pressures and sugar levels to a great extent. Apart from the reasons discussed above, these diseases can be passed down from generations too. But whatever the reason might be, it is still important to note that these diseases on their own can have a huge impact on our overall cardiac health.
Some of the many ways through which we can help take control of the situation here include:
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- Being more active in our lives. It doesn’t mean going to the gyms as taking time out to exercise can be difficult given our hectic work routines but we can certainly put in more effort to make the most out of the free time we have. This can include any sort of physical activity that would have the whole family involved such as gardening, outdoor games, etc.
- Quitting tobacco and the other forms of drugs that are detrimental would help build a positive attitude towards our life.
- Being more aware of the food we eat and switching to healthier food items such as fruits and vegetables.
- Taking necessary measures and consult a doctor to control the health problems like blood pressure and diabetes to reduce their impact on our heart
- Doing things that make us happy and keep the stress levels in our lives in check.
These are just some of the way through which we can take control of our life. Heart diseases are on a rise in our country and the sooner we do something about it, the better it would be for us.