Cape Town - At least 200 South Africans die from heart disease every day, yet the killer disease is largely ignored by many who continue to make bad life choices, a city heart specialist warns.
Speaking ahead of the recent World Heart Day, Dr Suzette Fourie – a cardiologist at Netcare Chistiaan Barnard Memorial Hospital – said that despite growing numbers of heart disease cases in the country, many people were still not aware of its classic symptoms or what put them at risk of heart disease.
“This lack of knowledge is across the board. It has nothing to do with class or level of education.
Fourie said more young people under the age of 45 were dying of heart failure as a result of cardiovascular diseases, including strokes caused by bad lifestyle choices such as unhealthy diets, obesity, stress, lack of exercise, smoking and excessive drinking.
Men were twice as likely to have heart attacks and die from heart disease, compared to women.
The Heart and Stroke Foundation shared Fourie’s sentiments, saying unhealthy lifestyles were largely to blame for the burgeoning cardiovascular diseases.
The foundation’s chief executive, Dr Vash Mungal-Singh, said that although “the picture looked bleak”, the tide could be turned.
“We recognise that not all individuals have the best opportunities to make heart-healthy choices. For instance, some people often lack access to healthy foods or to safe spaces where they can be physically active.
“But, all is not lost… even small changes can give big results, such as limiting TV watching, using less salt at home or limiting pre-packed processed foods that are often high in sugar, fat or salt,” Mungal-Singh said.
She said hypertension remained one of the biggest contributors to cardiovascular diseases with one in every three South Africans older than 15 years suffering from the condition – widely known as “the silent killer”.
Meanwhile, the SA Heart Association – a body that represents the country’s cardiologists and cardiac surgeons – has raised concerns about the lack of cardiac specialists in the country, arguing that despite the prevalence of heart disease, cardiac care remained fragmented across the country.
Professor Karen Sliwa, president-elect of the association said 190 cardiologists – including 35 paediatric cardiologists, 85 cardio-thoracic surgeons and 10 paediatric cardiac surgeons – were too few to service the population of more than 50 million.
Sliwa said that while things looked better in the private sector than in the public sector, cardiac care remained inadequate, with severe staff, equipment and medication shortages.
“There seems to be no discussion partner for motivation of better resources, regular supply of medication, more training posts for establishing cardiac clinics in outlying areas and underserviced provinces,” she said.
Cape Argus