Karachi: Screening of around 2,000 apparently healthy Pakistanis found elevated blood pressure in 45 percent, diabetes in around 35 percent, raised cholesterol in nearly 70 percent and obesity in up to 80 per cent.
The preliminary findings of the nationwide Pak-Sehat Study were shared at a World Heart Day seminar organised by the University of Karachi’s Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences in collaboration with the Pakistan Cardiac Society and PharmEvo.
Tabba Heart Institute Director Dr Bashir Hanif said the study had enrolled around 2,000 people aged between 30 and 65 from across Pakistan in proportion to the populations of the provinces.
All the participants considered themselves healthy when they joined the study, but detailed medical histories, physical examinations, blood tests, CT angiography and ultrasound examinations revealed a high prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors.
“The initial findings are alarming. Around 45 per cent had elevated blood pressure, approximately 35 per cent had diabetes, nearly 70 per cent had high cholesterol and between 72 and 80 per cent were obese,” Dr Hanif said.
He said obesity was closely associated with hypertension, diabetes and abnormal cholesterol levels, which substantially increased the risk of heart attacks, strokes and other cardiovascular diseases.
Dr Hanif said South Asians developed cardiovascular disease at relatively younger ages, with heart attacks now being reported even among people below 30.
He said the Pak-Sehat Study was examining premature atherosclerosis and cardiovascular risks among young and middle-aged adults to determine why heart disease was appearing earlier in Pakistan.
Blood samples from all participants had been preserved for genetic analysis, while researchers would also examine environmental, dietary and lifestyle factors contributing to premature heart disease.
The participants would be followed for 10 years. Their medical histories, physical examinations and blood tests would be repeated at different stages, while CT angiography would be conducted again after five and 10 years.
Dr Hanif said the findings could eventually help develop a risk-prediction system for Pakistan, allowing doctors to identify people at risk of premature heart disease and begin preventive measures before symptoms appeared.
He also advised people to check their blood pressure while resting instead of measuring it only during headaches, stress or illness, as a reading taken during symptoms might not represent their usual blood pressure.
NICVD Director of Cardiac Imaging Prof Dr Saba Bhatti said heart abnormalities were also being detected among apparently healthy pregnant women through a national echocardiography screening registry operating at antenatal clinics across Pakistan.
She said two research reports from the registry showed that around four in every 100 pregnant women screened had an undiagnosed heart or valve abnormality, congenital heart disease or reduced pumping capacity of the heart’s left ventricle.
Women diagnosed through the screening were referred to specialised cardio-obstetrics clinics, where their heart condition and pregnancy were jointly monitored and managed.
Prof Bhatti said continuing a pregnancy without knowing about an underlying heart condition could create serious risks for both the mother and child.
Researchers had also observed differences in maternal health outcomes, premature deliveries and babies’ birth weights among women found to have cardiac abnormalities, she added.
Prof Bhatti said untreated streptococcal throat infections during childhood could cause rheumatic heart disease and damage heart valves years later. Poverty, overcrowding and limited access to healthcare further increased the risk.
She said congenital heart defects were also a concern in Pakistan because of the high prevalence of marriages between close relatives. Such conditions could include holes in the heart, structural abnormalities and complex congenital defects.
High blood pressure also frequently remained undiagnosed until pregnancy, while severe pregnancy-related hypertension could develop into pre-eclampsia or eclampsia, requiring urgent treatment to protect both the mother and child, she said.
Prof Bhatti urged women not to neglect their health while caring for their families and advised young people to adopt healthy diets, exercise regularly, walk whenever possible and use stairs instead of lifts.
She also expressed concern over vaping among young people, particularly girls, and said late-night eating, inadequate sleep and disrupted sleeping patterns were affecting metabolism, education and overall health.
Pakistan Cardiac Society Secretary Dr Fawad Farooq said the human body functioned according to a natural biological system and required six to eight hours of regular sleep for recovery.
He urged young people to avoid smoking, physical inactivity and unhealthy food and said timely identification and treatment of hypertension, diabetes, raised cholesterol and obesity could significantly reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.
Faculty Dean Prof Dr Muhammad Haris Shoaib said the “Invisible Nation” campaign was helping identify hidden cardiovascular risks and encouraging students to adopt preventive measures before serious disease developed.
PharmEvo Senior General Manager Sohail Ahmed Siddiqui said awareness and screening activities were being conducted at schools, colleges and universities from Karachi to Swat under the campaign.
He said the initiative aimed to reach more than one million students across Pakistan with messages on healthy eating, physical activity and the prevention of obesity, heart disease and fatty liver.