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BAHRAIN must compile statistics on sudden cardiac deaths among its young population to formulate effective preventive measures, a top cardiologist has said.
Global studies indicate that the sudden death rate among those under the age of 35 ranges from one to three per 100,000 people a year.
However, Bahrain is yet to conduct a comprehensive study, which is vital to draw up a national strategy to tackle the issue, said BDF Hospital’s Mohammed Bin Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa Specialised Cardiac Centre consultant cardiologist and electrophysiology chief Dr Adel Khalifa.
The veteran highlighted that such deaths were rare in the country.
“Unfortunately, we don’t have accurate statistics in Bahrain about this issue (sudden cardiac deaths among youth),” Dr Khalifa told the GDN. “We are conducting a research to address this.”
Dr Khalifa had earlier stressed the need for a dedicated centre to probe cardiac issues in order to help combat the world’s leading killer – heart disease.
Meanwhile, the medic has also proposed eight recommendations to help reduce sudden cardiac deaths in young adults under the age of 35 in Bahrain.
Community and medical programmes ranging from healthy lifestyle education to periodic health checks and outreach, cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training, and facilitating public places with quick help were among those.
“Despite the inability to prevent all sudden deaths, it is possible to significantly reduce them through medical and community programmes,” he said.
“It is critical to develop educational programmes in schools and universities about the importance of maintaining a healthy lifestyle, which includes proper nutrition and participation in sports.
“This will prevent the onset of risk factors such as high blood pressure, diabetes and obesity at a young age. We need to make these a part of students’ daily lives.”
Bahrain has a high prevalence of lifestyle diseases with growing numbers of patients suffering from obesity, hypertension and diabetes.
With a diabetes incidence rate of 14.7 per cent in the adult population, the country is considered one of the most affected in the region.
“As part of periodic checks, it is critical to take a detailed family history and conduct a clinical examination,” said Dr Khalifa.
“Do not disregard any symptoms even if they are vague, such as chest pain, palpitations, and shortness of breath; a small percentage of people who experience these symptoms have an underlying pathological cardiac condition.”
He also stressed the significance of regular echocardiogram (ECG) screenings in schools, terming it as a relatively inexpensive test.
“Community education and CPR training in schools and universities, as well as raising the awareness of family members with a history of sudden deaths, are vital.”
Dr Khalifa called for automated external defibrillators (AED) to be set up at malls, sports clubs, walkways and public areas, and stressed the need to train people on using them efficiently.
AED, a medical device which helps to keep a patient alive, is designed to recognise unco-ordinated heart rhythm – most often responsible for sudden cardiac arrest – and deliver an electric shock.
The most common causes of sudden cardiac deaths in people aged below 35 are abnormal heart muscle thickening (hypertrophic cardiomyopathy), rare familial disorders (arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia) and hereditary channelopathies such as short and long QT syndrome, Brugada syndrome and others.
Cardiovascular diseases account for the largest number of deaths from non-communicable diseases (NCDs) – 17.9 million per year. Four main NCDs, or chronic diseases, are cardiovascular, cancer, chronic respiratory conditions and diabetes, all of which have a high prevalence in the region and accounts for 75pc of global fatalities.
raji@gdn.com.bh
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