BAGUIO CITY – A lipidology expert urged the public to embrace a healthy lifestyle to prevent them from contracting cardiovascular diseases that could pose a serious threat to their lives and for them to enjoy better ways of life.
Dr. Lourdes Santos, the only lipidologist in the country and head of the Preventive Cardiology of the Cardinal Santos Medical Center Cardiovascular Institute, said that if a person has already experienced a cardiovascular event, he or she must already consult a physician about testing and managing their cholesterol levels.
A lipidologist is a healthcare provider who’s an expert in lipids. These are the artery-clogging fats we know, including cholesterol. Lipidologists help people with lipid disorders.
Santos was one of the panelists in the roundtable discussion entitled ‘Inspiring Conversations on health: Turning Second Chances to Life-Long Victories’ spearheaded by the Swiss Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines, Novartis Philippines and Cardinal Santos Medical Center in partnership with the Philippine Press Institute (PPI).
The lipidologist pointed out that after a heart attack, one has six times increased risk for it to happen again.
She explained that a heart attack happens when there is a blockade in blood vessels supplying blood to the heart.
On the other hand, Santos claimed that after a stroke, one has nine times the risk for it to happen again. Stroke happens where there is blockage of blood vessels supplying blood to the brain.
According to her, when there is a plaque, arteries become clogged and narrow, reducing blood flow. The problem is when the plaque ruptures, causing blood clot, and if a piece of the plaque travels in the bloodstream, it may lead to a heart attack or a stroke.
From 2015-2023, Santos said that coronary disease has been the leading cause of death in the country.
She added that getting one’s cholesterol checked is one of the first steps to minimize the risk of developing heart problems in the future Cholesterol adds up and increases one’s risk. The longer one is exposed to high LDL or bad cholesterol, one increases the risk of having a heart attack earlier in life.
Santos noted that there are usually no signs and symptoms that one has high cholesterol and many people are unaware they have high cholesterol for a long period of time until they develop serious health problems.
LDL or bad cholesterol accumulates in the blood vessels eventually creating plaque that could obstruct blood flow resulting in a heart attack or stroke.
Santos underscored that one’s accumulated years of exposure to LDL or bad cholesterol can be used as an estimate to one’s plaque burden and average risk for the first heart attack. As the average cholesterol and plaque builds up, the average of the first heart attack goes down.
Santos advised the public to manage their conditions by strictly adhering to the prescriptions of their doctors for medication for them to achieve their target level of blood cholesterol, sugar and/or blood pressure or any condition that puts one in high risk of developing cardiovascular diseases.
More importantly, she said that people must never stop their cholesterol-lowering medication or change its dose before consulting their doctors even if they have achieved their target cholesterol level.
Moreover, people must also manage their weight by maintaining a healthy weight with a healthy diet and regular exercise aside from quitting smoking and limiting alcohol and eating a healthy diet such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, beans, nuts, fish and seafoods and poultry.
People were also reminded to limit sugary drinks and full fat dairy products.
Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death worldwide, claiming more than diabetes, chronic respiratory and kidney diseases combined. Atherosclerosis vascular disease (ASCVD) is the leading cause of cardiovascular disease morbidity and mortality.
In a period of 60 seconds, 34 people with ASCVD worldwide die from heart attack or stroke.
Earlier, the World Health Organization (WHO) targets to reduce non-communicable disease-related premature deaths by 25 percent by 2025. ASCVD is the biggest contributor to non-communicable disease-related deaths.
Among the top three risk factors of ASCVD include high systolic blood pressure, unhealthy diet and high LDL.
Santos said that cholesterol is a waxy, fat-like substance in one’s body. It is essential for good health, but too much of the bad kind of cholesterol can put a person at a higher risk of heart disease or stroke.
The health expert emphasized that the people who have greater risk of contracting the dreaded disease are males, post- menopausal women, smokers, hypertensive individuals, family history of premature chronic diseases, proteinuria and left ventricular hypertrophy.
Santos argued that maintaining ideal cardiovascular health is crucial in reducing the lifetime risk of cardiovascular disease; urgency to shift the focus from treating disease after it develops to preventing cardiovascular events before they happen by slowing the progression of atherosclerosis-address the cumulative effects of lipid-carrying lipoproteins on the risk of cardiovascular disease and explore approaches of earlier identification and more aggressive treatment of individuals at the highest risk of ASCVD events.
Santos is the head of the Preventive Cardiology of the Cardiovascular Institute of the Cardinal Santos Medical Center, Clinical Associate Professor of the University of the Philippines College of Medicine, Lead Author of the CPG 2022 and Immediate Past President of the Philippine Lipid and Atherosclerosis Society. By Dexter A. See
