On health ministry nudge, Chandigarh to monitor heart disease patients

Chandigarh: The ministry of health and family welfare has asked all UTs/states to conduct a surveillance for heart diseases and diabetes from March, prompting the city to designate all health and wellness centres to monitor such patients and record the data. “We will engage ANMs to identify these patients in the community and help them comply with medicines.

These ANMs will dispense hypertension/diabetes medicines to patients who have these diseases and ensure compliance,” said UT director health services Dr Suman Singh.

She said, “On Jan Aushadi Diwas on March 7, the ANMS will distribute medicines to patients. We would also sensitise the community on these NCDs. After a month, the data will be shared with the Centre.” The directions come at a time when sudden cardiac deaths have been reported from different parts of the country.

Doctors said they occur in those who have coronary artery diseases and other risk factors. Experts said that it could well be due to physical exertion followed by plaque rupture. Plaque is a fatty substance that accumulates in the arterial wall, leading to clogged arteries.

They added that the chances of death are relatively higher for the younger group when they suffer a heart attack. “The Asian population is known to have premature mortality of at least 10 years earlier than its western counterpart due to heart diseases. The exact reason is unknown,” said Prof JS Thakur, department of community medicine and school for public health, PGI.

He said, “The city has the highest incidence of hypertension, a risk factor for these deaths. Therefore, consistent work out and balanced diet are a must in prevention of heart diseases and diabetes.”

Experts feel that those with cardiomyopathy have been reported to die after sudden cardiac death, especially when they do intense workout. Some people are genetically predisposed to heart disease, while people with a family history of sudden cardiac arrests must be extra careful, experts said.

“These people appear normal even after ECHO/ECG. As these deaths are genetically linked, it is preferable to screen the family members of the deceased who died due to sudden cardiac death,” said Prof K Thangaraj, director, Centre for DNA Fingerprinting and Diagnostics, Hyderabad.