SWOLLEN FEET COULD SIGNAL SERIOUS HEART CONDITION, WARNS DOCTOR
Swelling of feet can happen due to many reasons. However, medical experts say it is important to pay attention to this sign and consult your doctor to help you figure out what is causing this swelling because it could signal a heart condition. Cardiovascular diseases are heartrelated conditions that, collectively, are a major concern in Botswana and globally.
According to the World Health Organisation(WHO),in Africa, about one million cardiovascular-related deaths are reported annually, translating to about five per cent of the disease burden globally.
“Cardiovascular and non-communicable diseases, in general, are rising so fast. In Botswana, it is worrying because most of the cases in remote parts of the country are not diagnosed. People die in the remote villages without being attended to,” says General Practitioner Dr Lucas Monametsi.
He says that despite cardiovascular-related diseases being on the rise, its diagnosis remains low.
Examples of cardiovascular diseases include abnormal heart rhythms or arrhythmias, Coronary artery disease (narrowing of the arteries), deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism, heart attack, heart failure and heart muscle disease (cardiomyopathy)
Triggers of the diseases are changes in lifestyle, tobacco use, excessive use of alcohol, lack of activity, diet and stress.
“People are living with a lot of stress which greatly affects the functioning of the heart. The risk factors are more in cities than rural areas,” says Dr Monametsi.
“Lifestyles have changed both in our country and globally. A lot of people are moving to the cities,” he says.
In Botswana, the most common cardiovascular diseases witnessed include heart attack, stroke and peripheral vascular disease common among people who smoke, as it results in loss of functioning of different body organs.
The heart is the most powerful muscle in the body. It moves around 10,000 litres of blood around the body every day.
“If the heart is not functioning well, the body functions are compromised, because the main reason it pumps the blood is that the blood is the lifeline of the body because it has food and oxygen needed for functionality of the body, and takes out toxins like carbon dioxide,” Dr Monametsi explains.
“The heart is very critical and central to our being alive and working,” he adds.
Historically, cardiovascular diseases were reported among the elderly, but with time, younger people and individuals within age brackets of 40-50 years are being diagnosed more. Unfortunately, diagnosis is done at advanced stages resulting in deaths.
Low diagnosis is also attributed to a lack of awareness.
“We need to educate the community about the risk factors of heart disease. For example, people should avoid smoking, be active physically, climb stairs instead of lifts, avoid processed foods and learn better ways of managing stress,” he says.
He emphasises, “If you see your legs swelling, are coughing, feeling tired, are not able to walk, and have shortness of breath, you need to have the heart examined.”