WORLD HEART DAY

WORLD HEART DAY

Have heart condition? Don’t delay check-up even during pandemic

A Central Registry On Heart Failure Needed To Save Lives: Doctors

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

29.09.2020

In the last six months, since the Covid-19 lockdown in the country, non-Covid illnesses have taken a back seat. Even many heart patients have delayed routine check-ups. There have also been instances of patients delaying hospital visits despite complications, leading to exacerbation of the existing condition and even death.

On the eve of World Heart Day, cardiologists say, it is important to make patients aware not to neglect non-Covid illnesses. “I am regularly seeing patients who have delayed their treatment till they are forced to come to hospital at an advanced stage. Some of them may even have succumbed to it,” said Dr Ashok Seth, chairman of Fortis Escorts Heart Institute.

The fear of going to hospital despite worsening of a disease is not the right way because timely treatment saves lives, he pointed out. Cardiovascular diseases (CVD), World Health Organization (WHO) says, are the number one cause of deaths globally. It has many causes — from smoking, diabetes, high blood pressure and obesity to air pollution, and rare and neglected conditions such as Chagas disease and cardiac amyloidosis.

During Covid-19, WHO adds, CVD patients are faced with a double-edged threat. “Not only are they more at risk of developing severe forms of the virus, but they may also be afraid to seek ongoing care for their hearts,” the UN body states.

Disruption in travel and transport have prevented many people from smaller towns and rural areas from reaching hospitals. While there is no data or analysis to understand what is happening to these patients, Dr D K Jhamb, director and head of the cardiology department at Paras Hospitals in Gurgaon, said it was clear that many of them had not been able to receive medical care and treatment on time.

“Patients with cardiovascular diseases, hypertension and diabetes, among others, are experiencing delay in diagnosis and treatment, which, in turn, will significantly increase the burden of heart disease and preventable deaths,” he added.

Heart failure is the end result of many conditions of the organ, for example, heart attack, valve disease and viral infections of heart, Dr Seth said. “There is no centralised registry for heart failure patients in India. It is needed to make a fair assessment of the burden of the disease and save lives.”

The Times of India has launched Beat Heart Failure in partnership with Novartis to create awareness about timely diagnosis and management of heart failure and the need to create an effective national heart failure registry.

 

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