Routine checks of cholesterol and blood pressure should also be done by the younger generation.
REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA — High cholesterol levels and hypertension are two factors that play a major role in increasing the risk of heart disease. These two factors need not only be of concern to the elderly, but also the younger generation.
“Heart disease is now not only experienced by people in their old age, but also affects young people,” said Mela Sabina, Head of Communication and Promotion of the Indonesian Heart Foundation (YJI), in commemoration of World Heart Day, which falls every 29 September. some time ago.
Mela said the high prevalence of heart disease in Indonesia is largely influenced by unhealthy lifestyle factors. Therefore, improvements to a healthier lifestyle need to be done as early as possible.
“As an investment in health in the future,” concluded Mela.
The same thing was also expressed by a heart and blood vessel specialist, Dr. Vito A Damay SpJP(K) MKes AIFO-K FIHA FICA FAcSS. In youth, continued Dr. Vito, many people may be more focused on pursuing a career and success, thus putting their health aside.
The impact of this may not be felt now, but in the future. When they start “harvesting” the results of their hard work, the results of these efforts may be used up to pay for the treatment of their disease because they do not take care of their health from an early age, including heart health.
Related to heart disease, cholesterol levels and blood pressure are factors that can not be ignored. According to Dr. Vito, checks of blood cholesterol levels and blood pressure should be done routinely when a person is 20 years old.
“Because hypertension can occur at a young age and without any complaints at all, so if you don’t check, you won’t know,” explained Dr. Vito.
Bad diet that is formed from a young age can also affect cholesterol levels. Moreover, nowadays many young people are still working from home (WFH) and their lifestyle has changed, such as frequent snacking, rarely doing physical activity, even sleeping too late due to online meetings until late at night.
“I said this is work from home disease (illness of working from home),” concluded Dr. Vito.
According to Dr. Vito, there are several risk factors for heart disease that cannot be changed, such as age. However, there are quite a number of other heart disease risk factors that can be modified and corrected.
“What can change? Stop smoking, move diligently, control blood pressure, control cholesterol, control diabetes (if any), reduce it all, reduce heart risk factors, reduce risk by 80 percent,” concluded Dr. Vito.
– .
