JEDDAH, 7 February 2007 — Heart disease and atherosclerosis are responsible for 30 percent of the causes of death in Saudi Arabia, according to the Saudi Heart Association.
In a three-day conference that the association kicked off yesterday at the Intercontinental Hotel here, more than 105 cardiologists (80 Saudis and 35 from 11 other countries) discussed how to decrease heart-related fatalities.
According to a research by the Ministry of Health, ischemic heart diseases cause 17 percent of the deaths while hypertension causes nine percent and strokes make up four percent.
“Hypertension is not only a problem in Saudi Arabia. It is spread all around the world affecting 800 million adults,” said Dr. John Deanfield, professor of cardiology at the University of London and Great Ormond St. Hospital in London, UK. “That is probably because of the way we eat, the way we live and our lifestyle.”
There are some risk factors that play an important role in heart diseases, including diabetes, cholesterol, obesity, smoking, high blood pressure, stress, diet, lack of exercise and alcohol.
“Treatment needs to put more than one risk factor down,” Deanfield said. For example, cholesterol and high blood pressure should be brought down together.
Doctors agreed that patients should first take care of themselves and correct bad habits in their lifestyle, especially smoking. “Treating the problem must be led by doctors not done by doctors,” he said.
The UK is on its way to ban smoking in public places after Ireland. Last week, a French ban on smoking went into effect. New York City and California imposed a similar ban in recent years.
Smoking in Saudi Arabia is spreading more and more among the young generation. “Smoking here is quite prevalent across all ages, starting from the age of 12. Passive smoking is also a big problem, especially in indoor places — whether it is cigarettes or hubbly-bubbly (shisha),” said Dr. Nasser Mahdi, head of cardiology department at King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Center.
Residents who complained that shisha establishments were being built in residential areas helped bring about a ban on hubbly-bubbly in Jeddah’s city limits. However, shortly after the ban went into effect last year, the order to shut down licensed shisha establishments was reversed due to pressure from business owners.
Obesity is one of the major problems facing men and women, children and adults in Saudi Arabia, said the doctors. “Eating behaviors in children in the society has to be changed,” said Dr. Khaled Shaibi, head of cardiology department at King Fahd Armed Forces Hospital here. “The approach of healthy lifestyle for children is not addressed at all in our schools here.”
“Obesity is more common in women,” said Mahdi. “People usually consider coronary heart diseases as the disease of old people. It might be so. However, the causes of the condition occur at a young age and the problem should be dealt with immediately when the risk factors emerge,” Deanfield said.
