Coronary artery disease rising in rural areas

Cases of CAD among the rural people increased from 2.06 per cent in 1970 to 4.14 per cent in 1990.

Studies conducted during the last 30 years gave a clear message that cases of coronary artery disease (CAD) among people living in rural areas was rising.

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Cases of CAD among the rural people increased from 2.06 per cent in 1970 to 4.14 per cent in 1990, Dr Amrit Kumar Barooah, president of Cardiological Society of India's North East (CSI-NE) chapter told its annual conference here yesterday.

Smoking and alcohol were two risk factors for rural people, Barooah, a former principal and medical superintendent of Gauhati Medical College and Assam Medical College, said.

Hypertension, diabetes, obesity, physical inactivity, high energy food, blood lipid were regularly blamed for CAD in the urban population, he said.

Urban risk factors also included socio-cultural factors and dependence on machines and gadgets for locomotion and communication.

Barooah said that lifestyle modification was the way to get rid of the problem.

Physical inactivity should not be allowed in any occupation and food habits should be modified to avoid saturated fats and junk food, he said.

De-stressing and relaxation were also necessary and could be done in a variety of ways.