Pretoria - The sudden death of popular Metro FM DJ Eddie Zondi, 47, of an apparent heart attack, has put the spotlight on the fact that South Africans are dying from premature heart attacks, in what health practitioners call a scary scourge set to escalate sharply if nothing drastic happens soon.
At least 80 percent of deaths due to heart attacks are preventable, if people change their lifestyles, say experts. The rest are due to factors like genetics and pre-existing medical conditions.
Racy lifestyles, carefree lives, smoking and unhealthy diets count among the major contributing factors to heart diseases and death, all of them preventable.
“Premature deaths due to heart and blood vessel diseases in people of working age (35 to 64 years) were estimated to increase by 41 percent between 2007 and 2030, the negative economic impact of this being enormous,” a 2013 report titled “Heart Disease in South Africa”' found.
It is believed Zondi died because of a heart attack on Monday.
Commissioned by The Heart and Stroke Foundation SA (HSFSA) and released by the Medical Research Council (MRC), the report found that about 37 people died every day because of heart failure; and more than half of deaths due to chronic disease, including heart disease, occurred before the age of 65 years.
“These are premature deaths that affect the workforce in the country and have a major impact on the families,” the report said.
“Heart and stroke deaths are responsible for the second-highest number of deaths of South Africans (after Aids). While some causes are non-modifiable, a larger percentage are,” Jessica Bacon of the HSFSA said.
She said the country’s health sector was in the grip of a scary pandemic, which was affecting people of 65 years and below.
“There is a definite trend in SA where half the deaths from heart and stroke are of young people.”
She counted being overweight or obese; not exercising regularly; abusing alcohol; smoking; high blood pressure; and high cholesterol as combination risk factors which often led to vascular diseases like heart attacks and strokes: “Over time they increase the chances of death,” Bacon added.
In South Africa, heart attacks are among the major non-communicable diseases threatening the country, and, together with diabetes, cancer, chronic respiratory diseases and mental disorders, have been described as silent killers.
They contribute to a weakened heart, and heart attacks, and the MRC said in a recent report that they needed to be addressed urgently. The report went on to point out that the devastation went beyond the loss of loved ones: “Heart attacks and stroke are particularly tragic as they often strike down the victim in their productive years of life, removing the breadwinner from families.”
Pretoria cardiac practitioner Adele Yasmin said many South Africans were aware of steps towards living healthy lifestyles and they appreciated the benefits of having strong, healthy and resilient bodies, but they struggled to change their habits. “We will see more premature deaths if nothing decisive is done,” she said, adding that many young people were influenced by their social circles. They needed to be urged to adopt principles that would benefit them.
RISK FACTORS
l Being overweight and following an unhealthy diet high in unhealthy fats, sugar and salt, with few fruits and vegetables
* Abusing alcohol, smoking and being physically inactive can dramatically increase your risk of cardiovascular disease;
* Stress;
* Increase in chances as women reach menopause;
* Ageing is a risk factor, when blood vessels lose elasticity and start to decrease; and,
* High blood pressure or high cholesterol.
Early detection
* Regular checks for blood pressure, sugar levels, cholesterol;
* Family history; and,
* Managing the modifiable factors.
WHAT HAPPENS
* The result of a sudden complete blockage of an artery supplying blood to the heart, causing the heart muscle to die.
* Caused by a clot blocking the blood’s passage or narrowing of the blood vessel by an accumulation of fat, robbing the heart muscle of nutrients.
WARNING SIGNS
* Some heart attacks are sudden and intense, but most start slowly, with mild pain or discomfort, and intervention includes taking all warning signs seriously, seeking immediate medical attention for:
* Chest pains that last for more than a few minutes;
* Pains include those on the left side, middle of the chest, shoulders, jaw, arm and back;
* Tightening of the chest that might come and go; and,
* Unexplained shortness of breath, nausea and dizziness