The New Nation - Internet Edition

Heart disease is one of the major killer diseases in the world as well as in Bangladesh. Experts often called for raising awareness for reducing the mortality rates due to this disease. They advised the people to give up smoking, developing habit of taking moderate food and controlling diabetes to avoid the risks of heart disease. Maintaining discipline in lifestyle and food habits people can reduce chances of being attacked by the disease.

Cardiovascular system or the blood circulation mechanism with heart at the centre is a marvelous system of human body. The heart is made of the strongest muscle in a man's body. But it is very vulnerable to the harmful things people do to it. Out of two major types of risk factors associated with coronary heart ailments, man has little or no control over non-modifiable factors like aging, heredity, ethnic origin etc. that may sometimes cause the disease. But awareness can help man shun some bad practices that are directly linked to disorder of the heart. Use of tobacco, alcohol use, high cholesterol, obesity, physical inactivity, unhealthy diets etc are some of the major factors that may lead to the disorder of the heart. Smoking - both active and passive - increases the risk of the disease.

Obesity and uncontrolled diabetes have important role in causing the disease. Diets with high saturated fat is estimated to cause world's about 31 percent of coronary heart disease and 11 percent of stroke, the second leading cause of deaths after heart disease. The social forums should take all possible measures to raise awareness of the people. But mere awareness is not always enough, sometimes it needs to be supported by some compelling measures. Strict enforce of the anti-tobacco act can bring down open smoking significantly.

Ariful Huq

Dhaka