India TV Speed News Wellness Conclave: Statins are wonder drugs! Doctor says cholesterol-lowering is the key
WHO says that an estimated 17.9 million people died from CVDs in 2019, representing 32% of all global deaths. Speaking at the India TV Speed News Wellness Conclave, Dr Singh shared that lowering cholesterol is important to prevent heart diseases.
India TV Speed News Wellness Conclave: In a conversation with India TV, Dr Balbir Singh, Group Chairman of Cardiac Sciences, Pan Max & Chief of Interventional Cardiology and Electrophysiology at Max Saket says that lowering your cholesterol is the key to success. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), cardiovascular disease (CVDs) are the leading cause of death across the globe.
WHO says that an estimated 17.9 million people died from CVDs in 2019, representing 32% of all global deaths. Of these deaths, 85% were due to heart attack and stroke. CVDs include a group of diseases that affect the heart and blood vessels.
Speaking at the India TV Speed News Wellness Conclave, Dr Singh says that if you lower your cholesterol levels, manage your blood pressure, have a healthy weight and control your blood sugar, you can reduce the risks of heart disease.
Dr Singh says, "Heart disease is a preventable disease." He says that keeping a check on your diet, exercising regularly, going for daily walks, consuming fewer calories and maintaining your BMI can help prevent heart disease.
He also shares that high body weight is directly linked to three critical diseases; diabetes, hypertension and heart disease. Dr Singh says that just maintaining your body weight can help you prevent these diseases.
Dr Singh says that one of the most common heart diseases is heart blockage which eventually leads to heart attacks. When there are blockages in the arteries caused by cholesterol or calcium deposits or blood clots, it leads to heart attack. Since the heart is a muscle and needs oxygenated blood, any blockages can lead to a heart attack.
When there are blockages in the arteries, different types of medications and surgeries are recommended to treat the blockage. Dr Singh says that not everyone is recommended an angioplasty. People who are diabetic, have a family history of heart attack/ heart disease, have hypertension, is a smoker and are obese are usually told to undergo an angiography which helps to understand the blockage.
If the blockage is above 75%, doctors recommend angioplasty wherein they place stents in the arteries of the patients. Stents are made of metallic alloy and they have medicine coated around them which are anti-cancer drugs. These drugs tell the body not to react negatively to the stent and that it is a part of the body. This stent eventually helps in the removal of the blockage.
People with borderline blockage, i.e., below 75%, are usually prescribed medicines depending on the blood flow in the arteries. Dr Singh adds that not all who undergo angioplasty will compulsorily have stent placement. Sometimes, angioplasty is done only to clear the blockage.
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