Doctors on Thursday advised people to take preventative measures at home and maintain an active and healthy lifestyle to avoid risk factors, given that heart attacks double during Kashmir’s winter months.
Major tertiary care hospitals in Srinagar have seen a twofold increase in heart attack cases as winter approaches, along with a rise in winter-related deaths over the years.
Consultant physician Dr. Nasir Shamas of JLNM Hospital Rainawari draws attention to the spike in heart attacks that occurs in the winter, especially in Chilai Kalan. Research suggests that there is a 20–40% chance of an increase in heart attacks in Kashmir during the winter months.
According to him, there is a 20–30% rise in heart-related and chest illnesses, and heart attacks, chest pain, and strokes are more common during the winter.
Shamas advised people to exercise caution, noting that those with diabetes, high blood pressure, and respiratory conditions are particularly susceptible.
According to the doctor, elderly people should generally stay out of extremely cold temperatures, and people with diabetes or other illnesses should take less salt and make sure they take their medications as prescribed.
He advised against going outside or taking early morning walks in the winter to prevent heart problems, as has been documented in the past.
Senior Cardiologist, Department of Health, Dr. Shahid Iqbal Tak, stated that high blood pressure, high cholesterol, smoking, diabetes, sedentary lifestyle, obesity, stress, and family history of coronary artery disease are risk factors for coronary artery disease, which can result in a heart attack.
Heart attacks are becoming more common worldwide, and this is also the case in Kashmir. Heart attacks in particular are becoming less common as non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are changing quickly along with human lifestyles. Social media addiction has left some people physically disabled. Children exhibit a sedentary lifestyle just as much as members of the office-going class, he claimed.
Tak, who has been treating heart problems for over a decade, stated that heart attacks typically occur suddenly and that sometimes the stressful circumstances that are so typical in this region of the world make them appear dramatic.
“We need to raise society’s awareness of the heart disease risk factors and encourage action on that front. Individuals need to adopt a healthier lifestyle, give up smoking, take daily walks, maintain a healthy body weight, manage their hypertension, and control their blood sugar and cholesterol levels, according to him.
