May Measurement Month

May Measurement Month As you are well aware, hypertension has been long recognized as one of the major risk factors for cardiovascular disease and premature deaths worldwide. It is estimated to cause 9.4 million deaths and 7.0% of disability-adjusted life years (DALYs). In India, it exerts substantial public health burden on cardiovascular health status and the health care system. It is estimated to account for 10.8% of all the deaths and 4.6% of DALYs in the country. Indian Medical Association is collaborating with Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), who in turn, is collaborating with Centre for Chronic Disease Control – WHO Collaborating Centre and Public Health Foundation of India to observe May 2017 as “May Measurement Month”, which is a joint initiative between the International Society of Hypertension and World Hypertension league. As a part of this international project, it has been decided to monitor the blood pressure of over 25 million people around the globe with India getting a target of 2.5 million in this month. Indian Medical Association has been assigned, as a participant of this initiative, to ensure that each and every member of the Association monitors the blood pressure of at least 20 patients per day for the whole month starting from 1st May 2017. Under this project, all patients between 18-65 years of age are to undergo blood pressure monitoring 3 times in one go with a gap of one minute each through mid-left arm sitting position. A link to download the data collection tool for Android phones is appended below. We call for the participation of one and all in IMA to achieve the set target for the project as above and raise the IMA flag higher in the international arena. (Dr KK Aggarwal) (Dr RN Tandon) National President, IMA Hony Secy Gen, IMA For Study material, click to download:- 1. Patient_Information_sheet 2. FAQs 3. 10 Tips 4. Project Flyer 5. Matter for Standee 6. Patient Informed Consent format 7. Information sheet for volunteers to use when advising members of the public found to be hypertensive with blood pressure readings of 140/90 or above 8. Measurement card format 9. Printable Excel sheet format for records of persons checked

Indian Medical Association raises awareness among doctors in New Delhi on the increasing incidence of cardiovascular diseases

Indian Medical Association raises awareness among doctors in New Delhi on the increasing incidence of cardiovascular diseases Lay emphasis on raising patient awareness about the importance of leading a healthy lifestyle and undergoing regular preventive check-ups New Delhi, 13th September 2016: The Indian Medical Association organized a continued medical education (CME) program in New Delhi to discuss the growing epidemic of heart disease amongst the Indian population and importance of achieving goals in cardiology practice. The “Get to Goal” CME was attended by leading doctors in the city. Cardiovascular diseases are expected to be the leading cause of death in Western and Asian countries including India by 2020. Presently they account for close to a quarter of the deaths in India making them a one of the leading causes of morbidity and premature mortality. The major problem area lies in the fact that that a large section of the population is not aware of the causes and symptoms of the condition. IMA will be organsing a series of such workshops pan India under an unconditional educational grant from USV. The aim being to create sensitivity amongst its 2.5-lakh members across 30 states and 1700 branches over a period of six months about the need to raise awareness regarding the rise in the number of heart related cases. Addressing the CME, Dr. Sanjeev Gupta, Senior Consultant Cardiologist, Max Patparganj and Dr. Vivek Mittal, Senior Consultant Interventional Cardiologist, Max Patparganj in a joint statement said, “Stress and a sedentary lifestyle are the contributing factors for the high incidence of heart disease. Given its long-term negative effects on a person’s health and well-being, the growing number of heart patients is a major cause of concern for the medical fraternity. Symptoms include discomfort, heaviness, pressure, aching, burning, fullness, squeezing, shortness of breath, palpitations (irregular heartbeats, or a "flip-flop" feeling in your chest), faster heartbeat, weakness or dizziness, nausea, sweating or painful feeling in the chest. Given that most of these symptoms are extremely vague, the disease often goes undiagnosed. Both men and women suffer from cardiovascular disorders with more youngsters now being prone to heart problems as well. Doctors must advice their patients to take these symptoms seriously and immediately seek medical advice for the same.” Adding to this, Dr. S.S Agarwal – National President and Padma Shri Awardee Dr. KK Aggarwal President elect of the Indian Medical Association in a joint statement said, “One of the causes of cardiovascular diseases is hypertension which is most commonly known as high blood pressure and is estimated to affect more than one in three adults aged 25 and above, or about one billion people globally. It is one of the most important precipitators of heart disease and stroke – thereby making it the number one cause of premature death. Lack of awareness and negligence of the initial symptoms by the seemingly healthy patients and shortage of proper medical infrastructures and experienced medical persons are some of the challenges that hinder India from becoming a heart disease free country.” Dr S Kamat, Principal Advisor Indian Medical Association and Dr V K Monga Dean IMACGP in a joint statement said, “The key to preventing cardiovascular disease is managing risk factors, such as high blood pressure, high total cholesterol or high blood glucose. Factors such as smoking, raised ApoB/ApoA1 ratio, history of hypertension, diabetes, abdominal obesity, psychosocial factors and regular alcohol consumption are responsible for the rise in cardiovascular disorders. I am extremely happy that this initiative has been taken by the IMA National body to educate doctors and the public about this issue for early diagnosis and treatment can help save numerous lives.”