To observe World Heart Day, Chennai’s Kauvery Hospital on Wednesday, September 29 launched free health camps. The campaign, which will reach out to more younger population (below 50 years), aims to identify cardiac risks and abnormalities thereby encouraging people to lead a healthy life. The initiative was launched by P K Sekar Babu, Minister of Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department and Dr Ezhilan, Member of the Legislative Assembly of Tamil Nadu.
Speaking on the campaign, Sekar Babu said, “This day is to remind every individual on the importance to maintain a healthy heart by following the right lifestyle pattern and accessing timely healthcare. Even today, majority of population do not know how to handle sudden cardiac attacks and when to see a doctor. Timely diagnosis and intervention plays a key role in saving lives, but all this can be achieved through constant awareness. I congratulate Kauvery Hospital for starting this campaign which will help create awareness among the public thereby enabling them to gain quality healthcare.”
The COVID-19 pandemic has seen lot of sudden cardiac deaths among younger population, reason being – late diagnosis and poor management of health. “Many patients with heart disease did not do their regular checkups fearing the risk of infection. Hence, we are encouraging people, especially the younger population, to make use of the digital medium to access timely healthcare and keep a tab on their overall health. This year, the theme for World Heart Day is “Use heart to connect”, i.e connect with your community, create awareness on heart health,” said Dr Ananthraman, Senior Consultant Interventional Cardiologist, Kauvery Hospital Chennai.
“There are a lot of apps that track heart rates and ECG and with the availability of internet in major parts of the world, one can utilise the technology. In rural areas, volunteers or healthcare workers can be trained to use smartphones or technology to help people in that region gain access to digital healthcare,” he added.
The camp, which will be organised across other districts of Tamil Nadu as well, will have tests such as ECG, ECHO, Blood pressure, BMI. “The ECG reports will be digitised and can be retrieved anytime with the patient ID. The doctors would recommend tests or treatments accordingly,” said Dr Ananthraman.
Sudden cardiac deaths account for 15-20% globally, and among this, 1 to 2% are below 35 years. One of the main causes for sudden cardiac death is hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (thickening of heart muscles). This condition can be due to genetic factors and in most cases goes unnoticed as the symptoms are very mild. The second major reason is coronary heart disease (plaque buildup in wall of arteries), and the risk factors for this condition are lifestyle patterns such as smoking, alcohol consumption, poor diet, lack of physical activity.