Indus Vitals

Preventive care, healthy lifestyle habits stressed as key to tackling rising heart disease burden KARACHI: Health experts and academics have sounded the alarm over the growing consumption of junk food and the rising burden of heart disease in Pakistan, urging the government to impose strict regulations and promote healthier lifestyles among the population, especially children and youth. The call was made at an awareness seminar titled  “Don’t Miss a Beat!”  held at the University of Karachi (KU) to mark World Heart Day. The event was organised by the university’s Office of Research, Innovation and Commercialisation (ORIC) and attended by senior medical specialists, educationists, and students. Delivering the keynote address, the Executive Director of the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD), Professor Dr Tahir Saghir, described the increasing use of junk food as a “dangerous trend” that is rapidly harming the health of both youth and children. “If...

IV Report KARACHI: Pakistan is grappling with a rising tide of heart disease cases among young adults, particularly those under 35. Medical experts sounded the alarm, citing alarming statistics on cardiac disease occurrences, at a World Heart Day event in Karachi. The root causes of this surge are threefold: a sedentary lifestyle, modern smoking forms, and obesity. Dow University of Health Sciences (DUHS) and Help International Welfare Trust (HIWT) jointly organised the symposium on September 30. Professor Dr Muhammad Nawaz Lashri, President of Pakistan Hypertension League (PHL) and head of DUHS' Cardiology Department, emphasised that cardiovascular diseases affect not only the heart but also the brain and kidneys. "These diseases are increasing day by day because we are not paying attention to our lifestyle." Chief Guest Professor Dr Muhammad Ishaque noted that Pakistanis suffer from heart diseases 10 years earlier than people in Western countries. Stressing the ...