OCTOBER, 2019 | The HEALTH Plus
05
p05
“We are eating
more but moving
less, that’s the
biggest problem.”
– Dr Eff a
The typical way to cook Malaysian food can be considered unhealthy, which can lead to heart
diseases if one is to indulge without restraint.
Take charge of your heart
Heart disease prevalence pushes the need for a healthier lifestyle
and better awareness
E
ARLIER this year, Malaysia’s
Deputy Health Minister Dr
Lee Boon Chye stated that
heart disease has remained the
leading cause of death among
Malaysians for 12 years from
2005 to 2017. But we know that don’t we?Yet
we still indulge ourselves on fatty foods,
ignoring that in a couple of years we could be
one of the worrying statistics.
To understand where Malaysia stands
in terms of heart disease, we spoke to
consultant cardiologist, Dr Eff arezan Abdul
Rahman who is also a council member of
the National Heart Association of Malaysia
(NHAM).
the biggest problem,” worries Dr Eff a. “The
government has launched the “Suku Suku
Separuh” campaign where portions of a
plate is divided into a quarter for meat and
fi sh, a quarter for grains and nuts and half for
fruits and vegetables.
“Malaysians cook with too much oil.
Even if you substitute with good oils but
consumed in large amounts, it’s still going
to be detrimental to your health. My advice
would be whatever oils or fats you’re
consuming, keep it to a small amount. There
are many choices of oils present, most of
the vegetable oils are safe when taken in
a correct manner. It’s good to be taken in
small amounts because it does contain
antioxidants and it can boost your good
cholesterol. Vegetable based oils are the
safest when compared to frying with animal
fats,” explains Dr Eff a.
The heart people
“We are a non-legislative body, just a group
of doctors who decided that we need to take
cardiology in Malaysia to another level. In
order to do so, we created this workforce to
work out what activities we can do and also
work closely with the government on how
to improve the outcome of Malaysians with
heart diseases. This is purely voluntary work
– cardiologists take the time out from their
working hours, convene in a meeting room
and come up with ways,” explains Dr Eff a.
According to Dr Eff a, the National Heart
Association of Malaysia have a yearly
national congress to educate general doctors
on updates and on how to manage heart
disease. “We launched MySTEMI network
– it’s actually a set of protocols where the
moment the patient is presented with chest
pains, once they engage with the ambulance,
we have a set of algorithms on what to do
to expedite life saving treatment for heart
attack.”
A worrying number
So how bad are we in terms of health? “We
have just acquired a developed country
status, but compared to our neighbours,
Thailand and Singapore, we fare a lot worse
in terms of presentation of heart attacks. For
example, the typical age in Malaysia to suff er
The typical age in Malaysia to suff er from a
heart attack is at 58 on average.
Why are check ups vital
from a heart attack is a lot younger - by the
average age of 58. Whereas in Thailand,
the average age is about 63 and in Singapore,
68.”
“We are also deemed the fattest nation
in Southeast Asia and a lot of these heart
attacks - they have a lot of risk factors
particularly high blood pressure, diabetes,
high cholesterol and smoking.”
Everything in moderation
“We are eating more but moving less, that’s
Consultant cardiologist,
Dr Eff a worries that
the average age of a
Malaysian to suff er
from a heart attack is
58 when compared to
neighbouring countries.
“With social media, we have information
at our very fi ngertips and I believe we are
aware of the dangers of high blood pressure
and diabetes. Unfortunately, Malaysians still
need an invisible hand to push them and
understand heart diseases better.”
Dr Eff a recommends that any Malaysian
age 30 and above to undergo a health check
up. “It doesn’t take much to know your
blood pressure, sugar level, BMI and waist
circumference. Most of the patients that
are present with heart attacks, they have no
inkling that their blood pressure is high. For
those smoking, they’re simply brush it off
as it might not happen to them. Even when
someone has hypertension, their knowledge
about blood pressure and the medication is
lacking.
Therefore, education plays such an
important role. Unfortunately, the number
of doctors compared to the Malaysian
population is still very low. That’s why
we want to engage with other healthcare
professionals such as pharmacies to help
disseminate the correct information on
getting screened.” — The Health Plus