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Heart Disease, Stroke Are World's Largest Killer
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http://enews.voanews.com/t?r=279&ctl=14178A3:A6F02AD83191E160A35662F9DC968AEB9574F7DCC14957C0 World Heart
Federation says physical inactivity, unhealthy diet, tobacco use are
main causes of cardiovascular disease, and 80 percent of these
diseases happens in low and middle-income countries





Spain's Queen Sofia (c) at the opening of World Congress of
Cardiology, September 2, 2006 The World Health Organization reports
more than 17 million people a year die from heart disease and stroke,
making it the world's largest killer. To mark World Heart Day, health
specialists are urging people to exercise, to eat healthy food, and to
stop smoking to keep their hearts strong and stay alive. 

Statistics show the number of people dying from heart disease and
stroke is going up instead of going down. The head of the Geneva-based
World Heart Federation, Janet Voute, says the situation is
particularly bad in low and middle-income countries, where 80 percent
of deaths from these diseases occur.

"The heart health of people in low and middle income countries is not
being attended to," she said. "The reason for this is that
cardiovascular disease and its risk factors, such as diabetes, high
blood pressure, cholesterol, etc. are not at all considered part of
the global health agenda."

The World Heart Federation says physical inactivity, an unhealthy diet
and tobacco use are the main causes of cardiovascular disease. It says
controlling these major risk factors could prevent 80 percent of heart
disease and stroke and help keep the heart healthy.

Voute says myths persist that cardiovascular disease is a problem of
rich countries and that people in poor countries are more at risk from
infectious diseases. She says studies show overweight and obesity in
the poorer countries is rising and this is having a negative impact on
health.

"In India, where we all know that there is a malnourished population
and children and families go hungry. There are also now 35 million
diabetics and, they are, for the most part, this diabetes is the
direct result of overweight," continued Voute. "The same thing is true
in China where we know that one out of every five children in Beijing,
for example, is today overweight or obese. And even across the African
continent, where the issue of obesity and overweight is particularly
difficult to tackle, it is on the rise, particularly in urban women
and their awareness needs to be increased."

Although most deaths from heart disease and stroke now occur in the
poorer countries, the World Heart Federation says the problem remains
acute in the developed world.

It says people in countries such as the United States are dying from
cardiovascular disease later in life because of good patient care.
But, it warns the rising rate of obesity in children is leading to
early diabetes, and this will lead to early cardiovascular disease
unless something is done to reverse this trend.