Health issue - a major killer - Hypertension
- From: DownUnder <drpao-oz@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Thu, 14 Aug 2008 01:08:36 -0700 (PDT)
Two of the most common health problems that our people are facing are
Hypertension (high blood pressure) and Diabetes. These two diseases
are increasing fast among our people who live overseas - and even in
Laos (based on the data from the Heart Institute in Mahosot Hospital
in Vientiane).
Let's look at hypertension...
Hypertension is now begin to be responsible for more deaths among our
people and no doubt that many families have suffered the pain and
agony of their loved one with stroke.
For most patients, hypertension can be attributed to a combination of
genetic and lifestyle factors. In a minority, it is secondary to other
disease processes. In the case of the Lao-Hmong population, it is my
guest that our people may have the genetic predisposition for
hypertension and as we adopt the "good life" of the west, it is the
trigger that spark this fast surge of hypertension.
The problem with high blood pressure is that the patient feel may not
even know that he/she has a blood pressure problem. For those who
have been told by their doctors, those people feel "not sick" during
the early years of their disease so it is commonsense to most of them
for not wanting to be on a life long medication.
"Why should I take medicine when I am not sick?". Or, "the medicine
make me sick... so why do I need to take it when it make me sick, when
i feel well without the medicine!".
In my clinical experience, it is not an easy task to convey to our
people that high blood pressure is the major risk factor for stroke
and coronary heart disease (heart attack), and is a major contributor
to chronic heart failure (CHF), kidney disease and death. It is even
harder to convince them that they need to modify their life style,
change their diet, loose the excess weight, do more exercise, do not
smoke, do not drink excessively, having a more balance life (including
spiritual life) AND that many will need to be on medication today and
the for the rest of their life for the simple reason that it will
PREVENT damage to their bodies in the the years to come (especially
heart disease, heart attack, stroke, kidney disease, blindness and
death).
As our population age, it is expected that this problem will only get
worse.
So, if any one of you have the condition or have family member of
friend with blood pressure, you need to impress upon them, again and
again, on the seriousness of committing to a changing of their life
style, and to stick to the treatment regime as prescribed by their
doctors. If they have side effects from the medications, it is
important to re-visit their doctor to change the medication until they
find one regime that will agree with them (ie. free of side effects).
Do this... and we may see less of cardiac death and less stroke among
our people.
So... the message is PREVENTION is the key. Once complication has set
in, it is a loss battle already! as we have seen what happen to few
well -known individual within our community.
More later...
Pao
.
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