Category: Chronic Disease

Global Health and Diabetic Retinopathy-“Protect your vision: Steps for someone with Diabetes”

by cjdor, posted in APHA IH Section, Chronic Disease

“Diabetes is a chronic disease that occurs either when the pancreas does not produce enough insulin or when the body cannot effectively use the insulin it produces. Insulin is a hormone that regulates blood sugar. Hyperglycaemia, or raised blood sugar, is a common effect of uncontrolled diabetes and over time leads to serious damage to many of the body’s systems, especially the nerves and blood vessels.” -WHO (2018)

The prevalence of Diabetes has increased in low and middle-income countries. Diabetes increases the risk of a range of eye diseases, but the main cause of blindness associated with diabetes is diabetic retinopathy.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), diabetic retinopathy causes blindness in almost 5 million people worldwide. As the leading cause of vision loss in working-age adults, diabetic eye disease thus represents a significant global socioeconomic and healthcare problem.

What is diabetic retinopathy and what causes it? 

Diabetic retinopathy is an eye condition caused by diabetes. It affects the small blood vessels and light sensitive tissues in the back of the eye (retina). This condition is primarily caused due to high blood sugar levels and if left untreated can lead to vision loss.

Am I at risk for vision problems? 

If you have any type of diabetes you can get diabetic retinopathy. This includes people with type 1, type 2, and gestational diabetes, which is diabetes that occurs during pregnancy. Your risk gets higher the longer you have diabetes. More than 2 in 5 Americans with diabetes have some stage of diabetic retinopathy. The good news is that you can lower your risk by controlling your diabetes!

When should I get an eye exam?

The best diagnostic for diabetic retinopathy is a dilated eye exam.

  • If you have diabetes, get a dilated eye exam once a year
  • If you have diabetes and become pregnant, get a dilated eye exam as soon as possible and ask your doctor if you will need more eye exams during your pregnancy

What can I do to prevent diabetic retinopathy?

Losing your vision to diabetic retinopathy is sometimes permanent, but can be prevented. Studies have shown that the best ways to prevent it are to:

  • Keep your blood sugar level close to normal (this also reduces getting kidney and nerve diseases)
  • Control any elevated blood pressure and cholesterol
  • Exercise regularly
  • Choose healthy foods
  • Follow your doctor’s instructions for taking any medications and ask questions about your health

Is there a treatment for diabetic retinopathy?

Yes. However, treatment for diabetic retinopathy is often delayed as symptoms are unnoticeable until the condition starts to progress, or when Diabetic Macular Edema (DME) occurs. DME is when blood vessels leak fluid into the back of the eye, causing swelling. In this case, eye exams would be needed more often, as it becomes more severe. People with more severe cases may need a dilated eye exam as often as every 2 to 4 months. It is important to know that early detection and treatment can reduce the risk of blindness on a global scale.

Part 4: Perspectives on Global Health from Pharmacists Around the World

by pragmaticsolidarity, posted in Chronic Disease, Infectious Disease, Maternal and Child Health, Noncommunicable Diseases, Pharmaceuticals, Women's Health

As healthcare continues to morph and adapt based on the requirements of kind, compassionate, evidence-based care, pharmacists are playing a vital role in ensuring patient needs are met in countless regions across the world. In this four-part IH Blog series, the pharmacy role accompanied by profession-related challenges and pharmacist-led global health initiatives will be explored within a profession that is often underappreciated. The following perspectives, shared by practicing pharmacy professionals from the United Arab Emirates (UAE), India, Cambodia, and the United States of America (USA) aim at highlighting various aspects of healthcare that should be properly addressed by governmental bodies, NGOs, and all stakeholders by both sustainable political will and empowering solutions. 

This fourth and final segment explores targeted populations in each of the aforementioned countries, the health ailments that burden these groups, and each pharmacist’s proposed pathway to overcome these concerns within these nation states. 

In every corner of this vastly diverse planet, healthcare access and delivery affects countless aspects of humanity’s well-being. These aspects can range from the capability of obtaining the correct medications for treating dermatitis or receiving prophylaxis isoniazid therapy to accessing cancer screening with a pap smear and purchasing levemir at an affordable price. In addition to these direct implications on one’s life, healthcare possesses indirect factors such as social relationships influenced by health, hours lost working due to health commitments, and the emotional burden due to certain ailments. The global health community recognizes that health disparities exist throughout various regions of the world which affect these aforementioned facets. However, the inequalities that exist within explicit populations in these regions are often overlooked or overshadowed by more broad global initiatives.

In this final post for the IH Connect blog series, four practicing pharmacists reveal major concerns in their areas of inhabitation for specific populations: older adults, pediatrics, pregnant mothers, women’s health, and men’s health. These healthcare leaders then offer initiatives and solutions to address these complications to improve the lives of each member of their cherished communities. 

Dr. Moeung Sotheara, Ph.D. 
Clinical Research Assistant & Part Time Lecturer – University of Health Sciences
Phnom Penh, Cambodia 

Cambodia has achieved some remarkable health outcomes in recent decades such as improving newborn and child health, ensuring provision of HIV/AIDS treatment to over 80 percent of the infected population, and expanding vaccination coverage. However, there are a number of population-specific concerns that need to be addressed in order to further improve the overall healthcare and wellbeing of the people.

Older Adults

One of the top concerns regarding older adults in Cambodia is the lack of care centers for older adults and state pension provision. Consequently, the older adults in Cambodia are physically and financially dependent on their children to get access to health services from going to see a doctor to buying medicines. This results in older adults not willing to seek immediate medical care when they have health problems as they feel hesitant to ask for their children to help. Moreover, as they cannot go to the pharmacy on their own, they often miss out on crucial information regarding appropriate drug use. The solution is to provide all Cambodian workers with a social pension scheme and to build care centers for older adults, where they can easily gain access to healthcare.

Pediatrics

The top concern regarding pediatrics is the common and widespread use of fluid infusion. This dangerous practice has become a tradition in Cambodia. When a person is sick, most physicians prescribe intravenous (IV) drips either intentionally or on the patient’s demand even if he/she shows no sign of dehydration or fluid loss and often without careful monitoring. And children are no exception! To solve this problem, there should be campaigns to raise the public’s awareness about the danger of incorrectly used IV drips and to reinforce the doctors’ medical ethics.

Pregnancy

One of the top concerns regarding pregnant women is the use of traditional medicine. Traditional medicine is commonly described at two time points: one month before birth to ease child delivery and postpartum to increase breast milk production and prevent Tos (madness, depression). The most common form of traditional medicine used is herbal medicine which often consists of a mixture of different parts of multiple plants. The toxicity of these plant combinations has poorly been studied. To resolve the problem, a number of well-designed studies should be carried out to investigate the potential toxicity of herbal medicine during pregnancy and post-partum period.

Women’s health

The top concern regarding women’s health in Cambodia is the overuse of skin whitening and skin bleaching products. In a culture where lighter skin is often idealized, whitening is a common practice in Cambodia, especially for women despite the reported danger of those products. Whitening cream or lotion can be dangerous, and many counterfeit products are now on the market, making the practice even more dubious. The problem is of more concern as more and more creams are locally produced without the right standards, by mixing whitening cream with other vitamins and dangerous chemicals. Moreover, they are increasingly available online, or via social media where they are not sufficiently regulated. The immediate solution to this problem is to re-enforce the law regarding online cosmetic products advertisement. Furthermore, all production sites of sub-standard creams or lotions must be closed down. Additionally, any products must be screened for dangerous chemicals before they can be advertised and sold on the market. The public’s education of the danger of sub-standardly-produced skin whitening and skin-bleaching products is also of prime importance. The collective idealization of white skin should be changed and people should be educated to perceive beauty beyond the skin color.

Men’s health

Health impacts related to alcohol overconsumption has become a top concern regarding men’s health in Cambodia. A report by the Asia Foundation in 2015 showed that Cambodian men are drinking 9.7 litres of pure alcohol a year – 3.5 litres above the global average of annual alcohol consumption per capita. Furthermore, the study also found that Cambodian men tend to drink six times as much as their female counterparts. Social, economic and cultural factors together with the influential role of advertising are the predominant drivers of increased alcohol consumption among the Cambodian population, particularly men. Alcohol abuse has resulted in more than 60 major types of diseases including cardiovascular disease, cirrhosis of the liver, cancer and sexually transmitted diseases including HIV/AIDS. Restrictions on alcohol product advertisements, price control strategies and education of the public on the harmful effects of alcohol abuse are among the measures that can be taken to tackle the problem.

Dr. Maneesha Erraboina, PharmD.
International Business Manager – Helics Group Scientific Networks 
Hyderabad, India 

Older Adults

Most older adults use multiple drugs simultaneously for different conditions or for one condition. Polypharmacy causes poor adherence which leads to adverse drug events (ADRs) or medication errors (MEs). To avoid these ADR’s and ME’s, healthcare providers should educate patients about the medication in order to maintain good adherence and try to increase the knowledge of the health condition by performing patient counselling.

Pediatrics

Cost analysis is a ubiquitous problem for all types of diseases in each category of patient populations. In one of my research work entitled “Pharmacoeconomic Analysis and Treatment Pattern in Sepsis Patients: A Cross-sectional Prospective and Retrospective Study”, this publication infers about the cost analysis in sepsis patients particularly in the pediatric population. The major barrier is to overcome situations where health leaders are focused on cost rather than looking at the whole picture in order to provide equitable care. This can be accomplished by having input from these specific populations and reflecting on the role a healthcare provider should have in treatment. 

Pregnancy

For pregnant mothers, perinatal conditions that occur before, during and after the pregnancy can lead to perinatal mortality. In India, the most common conditions resulting in death are haemorrhage, trauma, and severely underweight babies. To avoid perinatal mortality, continuous assessment of pregnant women on medication and diet is needed by encompassing more prenatal and antenatal care health facility visits.

Women’s Health

Breast cancer is one of the top concerns in women’s health throughout the world, and this includes in India. In India, the etiological factors are difficult to identify for this type of cancer; however it mostly occurs in older women. It may occur due to older age and genetics. To decrease the risk of breast cancer, one should focus on non-pharmacological therapy that includes dietary and social changes.

Men’s Health

Commonly, pancreatitis occurs mostly in men with social history of alcohol consumption in India. In a study examining the main causes of pancreatitis, it was found that approximately 1/3rd of all pancreatitis cases was caused by alcohol. Counseling on decreases in alcohol consumption should be undertaken by all healthcare professionals in order to prevent this ailment.

Nazgul Bashir, B. Pharm
Registered Pharmacist – Super Care Pharmacy
Dubai, United Arab Emirates

As a pharmacist, we encounter a number of various types of populations seeking our care, both gender-specific and age-specific. Dubai, being a cosmopolitan city, sees many different ethnic groups and nationalities. With so much of diversity in the community, we see a number of different issues and it is our sole responsibility to identify them, recommend the most appropriate over the counter treatment to fulfill the need of the concerned person, or refer to a prescriber for more serious issues. One of the best aspects about being a pharmacist is that we have the opportunity to encounter new types of people and novel ailments every day. On the other end, some of the ailments encountered are difficult to manage due to a variety of reasons. Different groups of people who visits the pharmacy can be divided into men, women, older adults, pediatrics, and soon to be parents. In each population there are multiple issues which I will describe in detail in the following sections.

Pediatrics 

I would like to start talking about my most favorite population, pediatrics. Multiple concerns are present when it comes to children in the UAE including obesity, vitamin D deficiency, genetic problems, diabetes, and, most commonly, allergies and asthma. Out of these concerns, asthma and vitamin D deficiency are frequent ailments patients seek the care of a pharmacist for. One in every five children is suffering from asthma which initially, parents don’t realize. They self-diagnose it as night time coughing, chest congestion or persistent nagging. The cause is not simple. it could be anything airborne like construction dust (In the UAE, there is constantly large buildings being constructed), sand (UAE being the desert) and pollen from palm trees. Another major cause can be going in and out of air conditioner due to hot & humid weather. Cough suppressants and expectorants are first requests by parents and desperate patients even ask for montelukast or steroid based inhalers which is not an appropriate avenue to address the issue. First and foremost, the triggering allergen should be identified as airborne, smoke, or a viral cold. Educating parents about the importance of flu shots, the use of a peak flow meter to find out a child’s lung function and supplementing them with Echinacea, zinc, Elderberry or even Vitamin C to keep their immune boosted are also viable methods to address this ailment. Vitamin D deficiency is another common concern in children. Because hot and sunny summers last for a long time, children stay indoors rather than going out for any physical activities. Most of the body parts are covered with clothes which is common in UAE. 90% of the population is suffering from vitamin D deficiency including men, women and children. Pharmacists should recommend Vitamin D supplementation during these months in order to prevent this deficiency. 

Men’s Health 

Men’s health is often the most difficult to discuss because males make limited health visits. This could be because men ignore the illness affecting them or they could be uncomfortable discussing their health problems. Mainly, I want to talk about erectile dysfunction (ED) in men. One in every 3 men from age 40-70 suffer from ED, but due to cultural issues, the topic is often avoided. They avoid asking for professional help on this sensitive issue because they feel challenged, embarrassed and/or guilty. High diabetes and obesity rates and smoking/alcohol use are the main factors causing ED. Pharmacist counseling can provide significant help with lifestyle advice, proper supplementation, and education for reasons to follow up with a prescriber.

Older Adults

No matter which part of the world we belong to, a majority of older adults we see are on poly-pharmacy. This creates unique challenges in this population by having multiple health issues and taking a number of medications. In the UAE, proper guidance on use of these medications is often missing which leads to non-adherence to medications. From a patient’s perspective, taking 5 or more medications, either prescription or non-prescription, can be time-consuming and frustrating. For older adults with cognitive issues, issues surrounding medication adherence is exacerbated. As a community pharmacist, I would like to raise awareness about poly-pharmacy, adherence, and its effect on older adults. Many steps can be taken to increase the adherence. Color-coded pill boxes, properly labelled vials and easily read fonts should be used. Technology reminders should also be utilized to improve adherence. Another commonly noticed concern in older adults is drug induced nutritional deficiency which is defined as being on multiple medications that lead to a number of important nutrients being depleted. As pharmacists,  we should inform the patients the importance of this issue and help patients to identify the nutrition depletion by the medications they are taking.

Women’s Health 

Last but not the least, about 60% of the female population has issues regarding women’s health and are visiting pharmacists more often. Women’s health concerns are almost all interlinked including irregular menstruation, infertility, post menopausal symptoms, and urogenital complications. There are many more complications which could contribute to the larger discussion about this population. However, the one problem I would like to discuss is polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) which is infrequent or irregular menstruation or increase in androgen levels. It can be difficult to diagnose,  but many symptoms are excessive hair loss, acne/oily skin, weight gain and infertility. UAE has the highest rate of PCOS than any other part of the world. PCOS is a more recent disease which could be linked to modern lifestyles, more indoor activities and a decrease in outdoor activities, stress, and junk food intake. It can be caught initially if any adolescents discover a missed period or heavy periods. Most of the time, they don’t take it seriously and realize it when it is too late which could result in difficulties with conception or infertility. PCOS can not only lead to infertility but also anxiety and depression. Rates of infertility are increasing. When I investigate patients on their cycle most of the time, I find out they were having irregular periods in their early 20s, missed 3-4 months, and no action was taken because of it being such an intimate topic. I believe if we have any female patients coming to the pharmacy with issues like hair loss, excessive oily skin, facial hair, they should be advised for early screening of PCOS. Folic acid supplementation should be advised to people who are trying to conceive with PCOS or anyone with an irregular menstrual cycle. Lifestyle modification and weight loss should be emphasized as well.

Dr. Bryce Adams, Pharm D., RPh.
Oncology Medical Science Liaison
Washington D.C., United States of America 

Older Adults

I believe the biggest health concern for older adults in the USA is Alzheimer’s disease. This has been a growing concern as the human race’s lifespan has been exponentially increasing. While billions of dollars have been spent in research looking for a treatment, there hasn’t been much success. The current treatment options, cholinesterase inhibitors or N-Methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) antagonists, only slow the progression of the disease, albeit, with limited success. Therefore, these agents are most effective when initiated before the severity of the disease reaches a certain point. To address this concern, I believe we need to work on detecting the disease earlier and continue to research new options. Alzheimer’s screening needs to be incorporated into routine check ups in older adults, and implemented at a younger age with those with a family history of this ailment. Additionally, there needs to be continued research regarding the disease. This includes research to gain a better understanding of the pathophysiology as well as new agents to treat the disease. Most of our current research has been in regards to amyloid beta. While this could lead to better treatments, most of the efforts focusing on this have failed, therefore, I think we should start to focus more efforts elsewhere.

Pediatrics

The biggest health concern for American pediatric patients is the lack of novel treatments. While there have been great strides and new medicines for adult patients, there is typically a delay for access to these medicines for pediatrics. One way to combat this is to ensure there are a proportionate amount of clinical trials that include pediatric patients. This work is currently underway and hopefully will result in greater access to medicines for pediatric patients.

Pregnancy

I believe preeclampsia is the greatest concern during pregnancy as it is fairly common and can result in the death of the mother and/or child. While there are some treatments for this condition, there is still much room for improvement in terms of early diagnosing, prevention, and more effective therapy options. I believe we can improve outcomes by focusing our efforts on the aforementioned methods of improvement: identifying risks for preeclampsia more efficiently and preventative measures. 

Men and Women’s Health

I’ve combined men’s and women’s health into one as I believe the greatest concern is the same: heart disease. While there are several treatments currently for heart disease with decent success, there hasn’t been much advancement in recent years. Our current agents can manage the disease and reduce symptoms, but for the most part, they are unable to cure the disease. In order to combat this issue, American researchers and practitioners need to improve screening to identify the disease earlier on as well as focusing on new treatment options that have the potential to cure the disease.

The Developing World & Non-Communicable Diseases: A Pandemic of Drug Shortages & Inequitable Access

by pragmaticsolidarity, posted in APHA IH Section, Chronic Disease, Health Equity, Pharmaceuticals

Throughout the developing world, health demographics are rapidly shifting from communicable diseases to non-communicable diseases (NCDs) due to urbanization, lifestyle changes, and introduction of processed food. Although still retaining a significant portion of their communicable disease burden like tuberculosis and malaria, the prevalence of hypertension, diabetes, and cancer in developing countries has increased dramatically and is expected to cause every 7 out of 10 deaths by 2020. With the rise of these health ailments, the global health community has highlighted the importance and severity of these diseases through UN High-level meetings, incorporating relevant indicators in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s), and forming interagency coalitions within countries to address the barriers of NCD prevention and treatment. However, NCD medication supplies have remained an underappreciated barrier that humans affected by global health inequalities confront each day. The complications of drug supplies range from common medications being out of stock to not having a vital class of medications available at the health facility. The medication shortages that plague developing nation states often have a more pronounced effect on underserved populations – essentially causing an impossible barrier to treating their chronic condition and preventing morbidity/mortality.

Last month on November 20th, The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology revealed predictions in the year 2030 regarding the world’s insulin supply that stunned health care professionals around the globe. From data gathered recently, the number of individuals diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes is estimated at 405 million people. Although some patients can be treated with oral or injectable diabetic medications like metformin or GLP1 inhibitors, there are approximately 63 million people on earth today that require the use of insulin to manage their diabetes. However, only 30 million individuals use insulin due to availability, affordability, and inequitable access to this essential class of medications. Although these numbers provide a clear indication of the necessity for change in regards to access to insulin globally, the scientists at Stanford that conducted the aforementioned study in The Lancet predicted that the number of individuals diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes will increase to 510 million in 2030 – 79 million of those will need insulin to proper manage their health disorder with only 38 million having equitable access to insulin. These statistics exhibit that, in 13 years, less than half of the people on this planet will be able to access insulin, a medication developed 97 years ago. Though over half of the world’s diagnosed Type 2 diabetics will reside in China, India, or the United States, the study continued and stated that the insulin supply shortage will distress those inhabiting Africa and Asia most significantly. The reasons formulated to explain this health disparity include the fact that three pharmaceutical industries control almost 100% of insulin being manufactured in the world, the complexity of insulin which is a hormone produced by living cells, and generic companies’ lack of interest in producing a biosimilar at an equitable price.   

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) pose an implausible health burden on the global society with 30% of all deaths worldwide being attributed to these ailments. Of this mortality caused by CVDs, it is estimated that 80% occurs in the developing world with projections suggesting a steady increase in this percentage. However, with equitable access to cardiovascular medications, approximately 75% of recurrent CVDs can be prevented causing a decrease in both mortality and morbidity for humanity. To determine the access to common cardiovascular medications like atenolol, captopril, hydrochlorothiazide, losartan, and nifedipine, the BMC Cardiovascular Disorders journal published findings in 2010 of a survey within 36 countries. The findings revealed that the drug shortages transcended more complex medications like insulin and affected the access of medications that are considered ubiquitous in the developed world. The analyzed data revealed that of the abovementioned medications in the 36 countries, only 26.3% was available in the public sector and 57.3% in the private sector. The study also stated that in several nations, the wages earned within one working day was insufficient to meet the cost of one day of purchasing treatment. When considering situations where monotherapy is inappropriate, this finding would disclose that treatment would be particularly unaffordable.

When considering access to NCD medications generally, wealth has been a substantial determinant of inequitable access to treatment of hypertension, asthma, cancer, and others classified as NCDs. In many low-income to middle-income countries (LMICs), a wealth gradient has even been observed. In order to gather information to disprove or support this theory, the BMJ Global Health Journal published a study conducted in Kenya in August 2018. The study administered surveys to patients prescribed hypertension, diabetes, and asthma medications and collected data on those medications available at their home, including location and cost of the service. When analyzing the data, the results clearly indicated a wealth gradient for each of the three diseases included in the study in terms of access. As household income increases, so does the likelihood that a family has an opportunity to obtain proper medication. In addition, the results showed that poorer patients had to travel further to obtain treatment than those with a higher income. Finally, and most meaningfully, poorer patients paid more for their medications than their fellow humans inhabiting other parts of the country.  

These global health inequalities are unjustifiable in a global society where the quantity and quality of medications on the market is incredible. The drug shortages and inequitable access differ between the developed world and developing world, but also by socioeconomic stratifications within countries themselves. In order to provide compassionate care to every human suffering from any of these ailments, governments need to begin initiatives to make insulin, losartan, albuterol, and every vital NCD medication available to every citizen in their country. Heads of states, pharmaceutical industries, ministries of health, and health care professionals need to accompany their citizens and patients with a health mindset moving away from health as a commodity to health as a right. Most urgently, universal health care coverage needs to be at the forefront of every national health agenda to properly address this pandemic of drug shortages and inequitable access.

World Heart Day 2018

by cjdor, posted in APHA IH Section, Chronic Disease, Food/Nutrition

Today, September 29, marks World Heart Day (WHD) around the world. World Heart Day brings awareness to the prevention and control of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) which plays a significant role in our daily lives contributing to our overall health and wellness.

What are Cardiovascular diseases?

Cardiovascular diseases are a group of disorders of the heart and blood vessels and they include:

  • Coronary heart disease – disease of the blood vessels supplying the heart muscle;
  • Cerebrovascular disease – disease of the blood vessels supplying the brain;
  • Peripheral arterial disease – disease of blood vessels supplying the arms and legs;
  • Rheumatic heart disease – damage to the heart muscle and heart valves from rheumatic fever, caused by streptococcal bacteria;
  • Congenital heart disease – malformations of heart structure existing at birth;
  • Deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism – blood clots in the leg veins, which can dislodge and move to the heart and lungs.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), cardiovascular diseases take the lives of 17.7 million people every year, and accounts for 31% of all global deaths. Of these deaths, 85% are due to heart attack and stroke.

Projects around the world

The global fight against CVDs is happening throughout the world. Some examples include:

– Through the HEARTS project based in Manila, Philippines, WHO and partners like the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), are supporting ways to fight cardiovascular disease through training, planning and implemention.

– A two-year Standardized Hypertension Treatment project launched in 2015 by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and CDC on the Caribbean island of Barbados, enacted a mission to improve hypertension treatment and control among Barbadians with raised blood pressure through standardizing care for hypertensive patients, prescribing and making available the most effective medicines for treating each person’s condition. The principal investigator of the project highlighted, “It was also encouraging to see the cultural and behavioural change in the clinics among health workers who had to deliver a more focused form of care.” It is important to also note how cultural and social factors play a vital role to behavioral change when it came to seeing patients achieving satisfactory blood pressure control.

Specific intervention activities included: (1) Developing salt reduction and tobacco control plans, (2) Implementing simplified and standardized management protocols, (3) Improving access to medicines and technologies, and (4) Building capacities of health and other providers.

http://www.who.int/news-room/feature-stories/detail/treating-cardiovascular-disease-in-barbados

http://www.who.int/news-room/feature-stories/detail/philippines-embraces-efforts-to-step-up-cardiovascular-disease-care

Key messages to protect heart health

There are small, yet very impactful ways to make “heart health at the heart of all health”. Here are some facts/tips!

  • Tobacco use, an unhealthy diet, and physical inativity increase the risk of heart attacks and strokes.
  • Engaging in physical activity for at least 30 minutes every day of the week will help to prevent heart attacks and strokes.
  • Eating at least five servings of fruit and vegetables a day, and limiting your salt intake to less than one teaspoon a day, also helps to prevent heart attacks and strokes.

When it comes to reducing cardiovascular diseases and improving heart health, it is pivotal to identify those individuals with or at highest risk of CVDs due to risk factors such as hypertension, diabetes, hyperlipidaemia or an already established disease to ensure they receive appropriate treatment in order to prevent premature deaths. During 2015, 17 million premature deaths occurred from noncommunicable diseases (under the age of 70) with 82% of deaths reported in low- and middle-income countries, and 37% caused by CVDs (WHO, 2017). Although there has been great strides toward the prevention of cardiovascular diseases, inequalities including access to noncommunicable disease medicines, and basic health technologies in all primary health care facilities is essential to those in need of receiving treatment and education.

The epidemic of cardiovascular diseases has also impacted my life with my grandmother,mother, and all 4 of my aunts and uncles suffering from hypertension. In March 2018, my cousin at the age of 35 suffered from a massive stroke and is successfully recovering. I spent bringing awareness to this day by cooking popular caribbean dishes with a healthy spin and educating family and friends across the United States and Caribbean on the importance of having and maintaining a healthy heart. In addition, I took a 2 mile walk through my neighborhood taking in the beautiful Florida scenery and cool breeze.

How did you celebrate World Heart Day?

 

World No Tobacco Day 2018

by abbhirami, posted in APHA IH Section, Chronic Disease, Guest Blog

The focus of this year’s World No Tobacco Day on May 31st is the impact of tobacco on cardiovascular health. In 1967 the Surgeon General’s report definitively linked smoking to lung cancer and presented evidence that it causes cardiovascular problems. Despite all the evidence and outcry from health professionals, it was not until the 1990s when many countries around the world banned smoking in public places. There have been several policies including those deterring tobacco companies from advertising to younger age groups and forcing them to add warning labels on tobacco products. Despite all these efforts, tobacco still kills 7 million people each year and tobacco use (and secondhand smoke) is responsible for nearly 12% of all deaths globally due to cardiovascular diseases (CVDs).

Tobacco1

Tobacco smoke contains more than 7000 chemicals and is divided into a) a particulate phase which contains nicotine and total aerosol residue or tar and b) gas phase which contains carbon monoxide and other gases. The image below depicts how chemicals in tobacco cause CVDs.

Tobacco2

While the effects of tobacco on heart health are well known, knowledge among the public that tobacco is one of the leading causes of CVD is very low. The figure below from WHO’s brochure shows the percentage of adults who do not believe or do not know that smoking causes stroke and heart attacks.

Tobacco3

The goals of World No Tobacco Day 2018 are to:

  • Emphasize the links between use of tobacco products and CVDs
  • Increase awareness among the broader public about the impact of tobacco and exposure to secondhand smoke on heart health
  • Provide opportunities to make commitments to promote heart health
  • Encourage countries to strengthen implementation of MPOWER

WHO and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention launched the Global Hearts initiative in September 2016. The initiative aims to support governments in bolstering prevention and control of CVD. Global Hearts comprises of three technical packages: a) MPOWER for tobacco control b) SHAKE for salt reduction and c) HEARTS to strengthen management of CVD in primary health care settings.

Hopefully, on this World No Tobacco Day, the governments will commit to protect their citizens from tobacco use. The truth of the matter remains: prevention and control are not sole responsibilities of governments. Health care professionals, public health agencies/staff, national/state/local governments, educational institutions, business leaders/businesses, community based organizations and community leaders all have a role in making everyday a “No Tobacco Day”.