Vol 44 # 2 June 2012 - Kma.org.kw

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WHO-Facts Sheet June 2012
risk factors’ or metabolic risk factors. There are also a
number of underlying determinants of CVDs, or “the
causes of the causes”.
What are common symptoms of cardiovascular
diseases?
Symptoms of heart attacks and strokes: Often,
there are no symptoms of the underlying disease of the
blood vessels. A heart attack or stroke may be the first
warning of underlying disease. Symptoms of a heart
attack include:
• pain or discomfort in the centre of the chest;
• pain or discomfort in the arms, the left shoulder,
elbows, jaw, or back.
The most common symptom of a stroke is sudden
weakness of the face, arm, or leg, most often on one
side of the body. Other symptoms include sudden
onset of: numbness of the face, arm, or leg, especially
on one side of the body; confusion, difficulty speaking
or understanding speech; difficulty seeing with one
or both eyes; difficulty walking, dizziness, loss of
balance or coordination; severe headache with no
known cause; and fainting or unconsciousness. People
experiencing these symptoms should seek medical
care immediately.
What is rheumatic heart disease?
Rheumatic heart disease is caused by damage to the
heart valves and heart muscle from the inflammation
and scarring caused by rheumatic fever. Rheumatic
fever is caused by streptococcal bacteria, which usually
begins as a sore throat or tonsillitis in children.
Symptoms of rheumatic heart disease
• Shortness of breath, fatigue, irregular heart beats,
chest pain and fainting.
• Symptoms of rheumatic fever: fever, pain and
swelling of the joints, nausea, stomach cramps and
vomiting.
Treatment
Early treatment of streptococcal sore throat can stop
the development of rheumatic fever. Regular longterm
penicillin treatment can prevent repeat attacks
of rheumatic fever which give rise to rheumatic heart
disease and can stop disease progression in people whose
heart valves are already damaged by the disease.
Why are cardiovascular diseases a development issue
in low- and middle-income countries?
• Over 80% of the world’s deaths from CVDs occur
in low- and middle-income countries.
• People in low- and middle-income countries are
more exposed to risk factors leading to CVDs and
other noncommunicable diseases and are less
exposed to prevention efforts
• People in low- and middle-income countries have
less access to effective and equitable health care
services which respond to their needs (including
early detection services).
• As a result, many people in low- and middleincome
countries die younger from CVDs and
other noncommunicable diseases
• The poorest people in low- and middle-income
countries are affected most. At household level,
sufficient evidence is emerging to prove that CVDs
and other noncommunicable diseases contribute to
poverty.
• At macro-economic level, CVDs place a heavy
burden on the economies of low- and middleincome
countries.
How can the burden of cardiovascular diseases be
reduced?
Heart disease and stroke can be prevented through
healthy diet, regular physical activity and avoiding
tobacco smoke. Individuals can reduce their risk of
CVDs by engaging in regular physical activity, avoiding
tobacco use and second-hand tobacco smoke, choosing
a diet rich in fruit and vegetables and avoiding foods
that are high in fat, sugar and salt, and maintaining a
healthy body weight.
6. WORLD MALARIA DAY 2012
Test, Treat, Track: scaling up the fight against
malaria
On the eve of World Malaria Day 2012, WHO hails
global progress in combating malaria but highlights
the need to further reinforce the fight. WHO’s new
initiative, T3: Test, Treat, Track, urges malaria-endemic
countries and donors to move towards universal access
to diagnostic testing and antimalarial treatment, and to
build robust malaria surveillance systems.
A million lives saved
“In the past ten years, increased investment in
malaria prevention and control has saved more than a
million lives,” says Dr Margaret Chan, WHO Director-
General. “This is a tremendous achievement. But we
are still far from achieving universal access to lifesaving
malaria interventions.”
Progress not enough to meet target
A massive acceleration in the global distribution of
mosquito nets, the expansion of programs to spray
the insides of buildings with insecticides, and an
increase in access to prompt antimalarial treatment
has brought down malaria mortality rates by more
than a quarter worldwide, and by one third in Africa
since 2000. But simply maintaining current rates of