LATEST: Heart disease Bicol’s No. 1 killer – DOH

LEGAZPI CITY: Heart disease, pneumonia, and hypertension are the top three killer diseases in Bicol, the Department of Health (DOH) here said yesterday.

Based on the 2011 DOH study on the leading causes of death in the region, 4,307 people died of heart ailment, followed by pneumonia with 3,483, and hypertension with 2,354 deaths.

Other killer diseases were neoplasms or tumors with 1,513 deaths, tuberculosis-1,357, trauma/injuries-1,353, kidney-953, cerebro vascular-791, diabetes-757, and septicemia with 595, during the same priod.

Gloria Balboa, DOH regional director, said death due to heart disease in 2011 overtook pneumonia which was listed to be the top killer disease in Bicol in 2010.

She said the death ratio indicated that eight out of every 100 population  in Bicol die of heart attack, while six out of 100 people die of pneumonia and four people out of 100 population die of hypertension.

The report shows that an average of 3,887 deaths annually have been recorded since 2006 due to heart disease, making it  the leading cause of death in Bicol.

The  other  leading illnesses that struck thousands of Bicolanos were acute upper respiratory infection, hypertension, influenza, diarrhea, kidney disease, acute lower respiratory tract infection, bronchitis, musculoskeletal disorders, asthma, and anemia.

Balboa when asked about the 2012 report by DOH said her office was still consolidating last year’s data as reported by various provincial health offices. She said such reports were prepared yearly.

Heart diseases are due to high blood pressure, obesity, smoking, psychological stress, and unhealthy lifestyle .

Heart diseases come in many types. These are: coronary heart ailment, cardiomyopathy or heart muscle disease, cardiovascular, ischaemic heart, inflammatory heart, and valvular heart disease.

To help address the problem, Balboa said the DOH will launch on March 14 the new Hataw workout, a 30-minute exercise that can be done at home to counter risks of heart disease and other ailments.

Balboa said “physical inactivity is among the four leading risk factors for global mortality.” – Bicol Mail