Around half of the world population is overweight, while in Pakistan 30 percent men and 40 percent women are overweight, exposing them to various diseases, including high cholesterol, high blood pressure and diabetes, a consultant cardiologist at Whipps Cross and St. Bartholomew's Hospital London, UK, Dr Sandeep Gupta said.
Talking to Business Recorder, Dr Sandeep Gupta, who is a leading international figure in the research area of "inflammation and heart diseases' and was awarded a British Heart Foundation (BHF) fellowship, urged people to adopt healthy lifestyle to avoid facing complicated diseases. He also emphasised the doctors to play effective role to make people aware about the importance of healthy life.
Dr Gupta disclosed that the UK government is considering launching a scheme under which financial support will be extended to the overweight people to help reduce their weight. Advocating for strict regulations to check the menace of smoking, he said only one cigarette reduces 11 minutes from the life span of a smoker.
To a query, he said average age of a doctor in countries like Pakistan and India is 61 and one of the causes of death is stated to be cardiovascular disease. He said 30-minute daily walk, giving up smoking, taking balanced diet and maintaining healthy lifestyle are necessary to enjoy quality life.
He said great responsibility lies on general practitioners (GPs) for creation of a healthy society because they can motivate the family for opting a healthy life style with balanced diet and regular walk.
To another question, Dr Gupta said approximately 57,000 deaths could be avoided in the US with proper care and properly addressing the risk factors. Earlier, Dr Sandeep Gupta addressed a symposia of doctors in which he highlighted the perils of uncontrolled hypertension while elaborating on the most effective treatment options for managing hypertension. The topic of Dr Gupta's talk was "Destination 120/80, are all ARBs the same?
The symposium organised by Sanofi-aventis was chaired by Professor Shahryaar A Sheikh, President of the World Heart Federation. The Co-chairperson was Dr Soulat Siddique while Professor Zubair Akram, Professor Bilal Zikariah Khan and Professor Abdul Hafeez Chodhary made up the panel of experts.
Sharing data on hypertension, Dr Sandeep Gupta elaborated the high burden of hypertension globally, especially in developing countries. He drew attention to the National Health Survey (Pakistan) conducted in 1999, according to which less than 3 percent hypertensive patients in Pakistan are able to achieve their BP goal.
Addressing this alarming figure, Dr Gupta elaborated on current modalities of hypertension management, comparing different Angiotensin Receptor Blockers (ARBs) with Irbesartan. The comparative data favoured Irbesartan as a better choice to aid hypertensive patients in achieving their BP goals. Irbesartan is an original research molecule of sanofi-aventis.
The panel of experts shared their experiences of BP management. Medical practitioners who attended this academic event greatly appreciated the opportunity to benefit from the knowledge and experience of an internationally renowned expert.
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