MALAYSIANS ARE THE ‘YOUNGEST’ SUFFERERS OF HEART DISEASE
Thailand at 65, mainland China at 63, western nations at 66 and Canada 68
MALAYSIANS are developing heart disease at a younger age, compared with their peers in other countries. Citing Health Ministry statistics, National Heart Institute (IJN) consultant cardiologist Datuk Dr Ahmad Khairuddin Mohamed Yusof said last year, Malaysians developed heart disease at 58, compared with populations in Thailand (65), mainland China (63), western countries (66) and Canada (68).
According to the World Health Organisation, the proportional mortality rate due to cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) in Malaysia stood at 36 per cent in 2014. Worldwide, an estimated 17.7 million people died from CVDs in 2015, representing 31 per cent of global deaths.
He said high levels of cholesterol in the blood might lead to CVDs, which included heart attacks and strokes.
According to the 2015 National Health and Morbidity Survey, 47.7 per cent of Malaysians aged 18 and above had high blood cholesterol, also known as hypercholesterolemia, compared with 32.6 per cent in 2011.
“Individual behavioural modifications are important, especially those related to one’s lifestyle (to reduce cholesterol levels). Exercising, eating healthy food, avoiding alcohol and foodstuff containing polyunsaturated fat and lower calorie intake are important,” said Dr Khairuddin at the launch of a new cholesterol-lowering drug here recently.
Although treatment, including statin drugs, could help reduce high cholesterol, prevention was always better than cure, said the cardiologist.
He said CVDs could not only lead to physical dysfunction (disability) and extra financial burden but could also be emo- tionally taxing, caus- ing depression among patients and caregivers.
He said cholesterol might exist in two forms, namely high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C or good cholesterol) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C or bad cholesterol). While HDL takes cholesterol from tissues to the liver to be excreted from the body, thus, lowering the risk of heart disease.
LDL carries cholesterol to tissues, which may result in the obstruction of blood vessels. Therefore, high levels of LDL are recognised as a major risk factor for CVDs.
“Unhealthy lifestyle, poor diet, obesity, smoking, high sugar intake and diseases, such as diabetes mellitus or low thyroid gland activity, are among the causes of elevated cholesterol in the blood,” said Dr Khairuddin, adding that genetic abnormalities could cause high levels of LDL-C, a condition known as familial hypercholesterolemia.
“If the situation is left unattended, it may lead to atherosclerosis, which is an accumulation of cholesterol in the arteries that form deposits called plaque,” he said.
The plaque, which is made up of fat, cholesterol, calcium and other substances found in the blood, will harden and cause the arteries to become more narrow, which limits the flow of oxygen-rich blood to organs and other parts of the body.
“This can cause ‘angina’ or chest pain, which occurs when the blood supply to the heart is affected due to clogged arteries, or heart attack if the plaque-ridden arteries rupture and blood clots form, or also stroke if the blood flow to the brain is blocked due to clogged arteries.”