CVD Awareness

12/01/2023

Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death worldwide, causing around 19 million deaths each year, an average of 50 000 people each day or one death every 1.7 seconds.
Most of these CVD deaths can be prevented by addressing people's lifestyles
There are around 550 million people living with cardiovascular diseases across the world, of which, about 53% of them are women.
And each year, as much as 60 million people across the world develop a cardiovascular disease.
This is why the cardiovascular disease burden has been on the rise since the last century, in fact, there has been a 93% increase from 1990.
The highest burden is in Asia and Australasia, followed by Europe, followed by Africa, followed by North America and least in South America.
And the 4 most common CVDs are, in decreasing order, coronary heart disease, peripheral arterial disease, stroke and atrial fibrillation.

Join us in spreading CVD Awareness. Share❤️

Reference: British Heart Foundation
https://www.bhf.org.uk/-/media/files/research/heart-statistics/bhf-cvd-statistics-global-factsheet.pdf

09/01/2023

"Annually, 15 million people worldwide suffer a stroke. Of these, 5 million die and another 5 million are left permanently disabled." World Health Organization (WHO) ()
Stroke is a medical emergency, if you think you or someone else is having a stroke call an ambulance ASAP. It is advised that you have ambulance contact details in your phone.

A stroke occurs when part of a brain gets damaged or dies due to interruption in its blood supply. Blood supply to the brain can be interrupted when there is a clot in the supplying blood vessels (this causes the ischaemic type of stroke) or when there is a bleed in the brain (this causes the hemorrhagic type of stroke).

Signs of stroke
Use the FAST mnemonic to easily remember these signs:
•Facial weakness – can they smile? Has their mouth or eye drooped?
•Arm weakness – can they raise both arms?
•Speech problems – can they speak clearly and can they understand what you're saying?
•Time – it's time to call an ambulance immediately if you see any of these symptoms.

It's called FAST to stress out how quickly you should act. Acting FAST is really lifesaving!

How to prevent stroke?
✓eat healthily
✓be physically active
✓keep to a healthy weight and lose weight if necessary
✓don't smoke
✓cut down on alcohol
✓control high blood pressure
✓control high cholesterol
✓control blood sugar levels (if you have diabetes)
[Check out our other posts for more details on these prevention measures]

Join us in spreading CVD Awareness! Share❤️!

Reference: British Heart Foundation ()
https://www.bhf.org.uk/informationsupport/conditions/stroke

04/01/2023

High cholesterol causes 4.4 million deaths every year. And 24% of CVD-related deaths are attributable to high LDL cholesterol. This makes high LDL cholesterol one of the major risks of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs).
Cholesterol is a waxy, fat-like substance found in your blood. It is either manufactured by the body or obtained from diet. There are different types of cholesterol, it is the LDL cholesterol that is bad in excess amounts and is capable of damaging the heart.

How to prevent high LDL cholesterol?
✓Avoid a diet high in saturated fat (found, for example, in animal products) and trans fats (found in various industrially processed foods)
✓Avoid excess sugar and starch intake
✓Maintain regular physical activity, atleast 30 minutes per day.
✓Quit smoking- cigarette smoking damages the walls of the blood vessels, making them more likely to accumulate fatty deposits.
✓Keep your blood sugars normal

High cholesterol has no symptoms. The only way to know if you have high cholesterol levels is to have a simple blood test.
Cholesterol levels should be measured at least once every 5 years in everyone over age 20.
Men aged over 35, women aged over 45 and people with a family history of high cholesterol, heart disease or other risk factors, such as diabetes or high blood pressure, are at higher risk of cholesterol and should therefore be screened more frequently.

Remember to share❤️. Join us in spreading CVD Awareness!

Reference: World Heart Federation
https://world-heart-federation.org/what-we-do/cholesterol/

29/12/2022

What are the warning signs of a heart attack?
Heart Foundation American Heart Association - CPR & First Aid

What are the warning signs of a heart attack? The American Heart Association explains the most common symptoms of heart attack in men and women.

27/12/2022

People with diabetes are twice as likely to have heart disease or a stroke than people who don’t have diabetes—and at a younger age. But fortunately, this risk is reduced when one keeps their blood glucose levels within normal levels.
High blood sugar damages the heart by damaging the blood vessels and nerves that supply the heart over time. And this can result in heart attack or heart failure.

How does one manage blood sugar levels?
✓manage weight
✓eat healthy, limit sweets and added sugars, fatty or processed meats, salt, saturated fats and alcohol
✓being physically active for at least 30 minutes a day on most days of the week
✓if diabetic, taking meds exactly as prescribed by your doctor

What are the symptoms of diabetes?
•frequent urination
•blurred vision
•increased hunger
•excessive thirst
•feeling of pins and needles in the feet
•fatigue

Reference: CDC American Heart Association American Diabetes Association
https://www.heart.org/en/health-topics/diabetes/diabetes-complications-and-risks/cardiovascular-disease--diabetes

Remember, sharing is caring ❤️
Join us in spreading CVD Awareness

26/12/2022

Coronary heart disease (CHD) is the commonest type of heart disease, responsible for 1 in 4 deaths.
It occurs when cholesterol, a waxy fat-like substance in blood, deposits in the blood vessels supplying the heart, called coronary arteries. These deposits form a plaque that may cut blood supply to part of the heart leading to the death of that part thus causing a heart attack.
The main symptom of CHD is called angina which comprises of:
•chest pain
•shortness of breath
•pain travelling through the body
•fatigue
•nausea
And there are a number of risk factors known to increase the risk of getting CHD, these include:
×high blood pressure,
×high cholesterol,
×diabetes,
×smoking,
×being overweight
×not doing enough physical activity
Reference: CDC British Heart Foundation
https://www.cdc.gov/heartdisease/coronary_ad.htm

Sharing is caring ❤️
Join us in spreading CVD Awarenesses!

22/12/2022

Do you know a heart healthy diet that prevents CVDs?
A heart healthy diet is one that emphasizes:
✓a wide variety of fruits and vegetables
✓whole grains and products made up mostly of whole grains
✓plant based proteins such as legumes and nuts;
✓fish and seafood
✓low-fat or nonfat dairy;
✓if you eat meat and poultry, ensuring it is lean and unprocessed
✓liquid non-tropical vegetable oils
✓minimally processed foods
✓minimized intake of added sugars
✓foods prepared with little or no salt

And don't forget to:
•burn as many calories as you eat via physical activity
•limited or preferably no alcohol intake

More at Heart Foundation https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/healthy-eating/eat-smart/nutrition-basics/aha-diet-and-lifestyle-recommendations

20/12/2022

Of all the risk factors of CVDs, high blood pressure is has the strongest evidence of causing CVDs.
High blood pressure is blood pressure above 130/80.
One way high blood pressure causes CVDs is by putting a strain on the heart and makes it weak thus causing heart failure. The weakened heart enlarges to compensate for the reduced strength but this further weakens it.
Join us in preventing CVDs by keeping normal blood pressures:
✓Keep your BPs normal (less than 120 over 80)
✓Check your BP regularly (at least once every year for non-Hypertension patients, and roughly biweekly for Hypertension patients)
✓Hypertension patients should not stop taking their hypertension medicines (Currently, hypertension has no cure, the medicines are to be taken non-stop)
✓Low salt intake (no more than 2.3 grams per day, even lower for hypertension patients)
✓Eat a healthy diet (a diet with Fruits, Vegetables, Whole-grains, Low-fat dairy products, Skinless poultry and fish, Nuts and legumes, Non-tropical vegetable oils)
✓Limit alcohol intake (no more than two drinks per day for men and no more than one drink per day for women. A drink is one 12 oz. beer, 4 oz. of wine, 1.5 oz. of 80-proof spirits or 1 oz. of 100-proof spirits.)
✓Keep regular physical activity (this includes Brisk walking, hiking or stair-climbing Jogging, running, bicycling, rowing or swimming, Fitness classes at your appropriate level, Activities such team sports, a dance class or fitness games)
✓Manage stress
✓Keep your weight in check (preferably BMI less than 25. Even small weight losses are beneficial if overweight)
✓Quit to***co smoking
Reference:

Join us in spreading cvdawareness CVD Awareness
Sharing is caring❤️

19/12/2022

Cardiovascular diseases is the leading cause of death worldwide!
Join us in our 1 year campaign to spread
On Mondays you will learn about cardiovascular diseases.
On Tuesdays you will learn about CVD risk factors
On Wednesday you will learn about CVD symptoms
On Thursdays you will learn about CVD prevention lifestyle
On Fridays you will learn about CVD statistics and news

19/12/2022

World Health Organization (WHO) and Heart Foundation define cardiovascular diseases as a group of disorders of the heart and blood vessels
They include coronary heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, peripheral arterial disease, rheumatic heart disease, congenital heart disease & deep vein thrombosis
Join us in spreading

18/12/2022

A Cardiovascular Disease Awareness campaign for 1 year by Innocent Lawrence Ndambakuwa , a medical student, in memory of my father Wilfred Ndambakuwa (13/01/71-02/12/22).