Chandigarh, July 9
There is a reason why the region needs more expertise in the area of cardiac care. Along with Andhra Pradesh and Kerala, Punjab is among the top Indian states that report a high incidence of cardiac diseases. On the whole, 8 per cent of adult population in India is current affected, and the number is rising at a disturbing rate.

Sharing his concerns about the grossly imbalanced lives that most people these days lead, exposing themselves to vulnerabilities, Dr Sudheer Saxena, interventional cardiologist of repute, said it was high time people effected lifestyle modifications to raise their defences against heart problems.

An expert in the field of advanced interventional procedures like rotational atherectomy, intravascular ultrasound, multi vessel and primary angioplasty procedures, Dr Saxena is known to be among the safest interventional cardiologists in the country with a high success rate (99 per cent) and a mortality rate of less than 0.3 per cent.

Armed with a DM in cardiology from the PGIMER and then with expertise in advanced interventional procedures from Perth in Australia, Dr Saxena has now joined Grecian Hospital at Mohali which has announced major expansion.

The super specialty hospital also promises expert facilities to deal with cardiac diseases and cancers in the region. On their platter are advanced treatment possibilities in both these areas, apart from a 25 per cent reservation of beds for the economically weaker.

As a consultant in heart care and surgery, Dr Saxena will bring to the institute his specialties, including peripheral vascular stenting and pacemaker installation for heart failure. Apart from treatment, the cardiologist is interested in certain research areas, the most significant being an epidemiological study of heart diseases in the neighbouring states of Punjab and Haryana.

Unlike anywhere in the country, these states present a peculiar incidence of differences in the origin of heart diseases. Despite being part of the same original landscape, Punjab derives its heart diseases mainly from diabetes and high cholesterol, whereas Haryana's main problem area is smoking.

The expert, who is about to wrap up the interesting study on the root of heart diseases in two sister states, told The Tribune, "The causes are worth exploring as they can make value addition to the existing epidemiological research base of heart diseases in the country. The incidence of smoking in Haryana is very high, especially among adolescents. In the age group of 10 to 14 years, 50 per cent of youngsters are smoking in Haryana. The risk of heart diseases can well be estimated."

In Punjab, on the other hand, lack of balanced schedules and lifestyles is the leading cause of cardiac diseases. "Punjab reports a very high incidence of diabetes, blood cholesterol and obesity. These, in turn, manifest as cardiac problems," said Dr Saxena, who will present a paper on this subject at the upcoming conference of the Cardiological Society of India.

As regards national scenario, the statistics on heart diseases in India are available in the 2002 data presented by the World Health Organisation. The data, based on figures from the Government of India, indicates that heart disease is a major killer in the country.

Chandigarh, July 9
A team of specialists in cancer and cardiology will now be available for consultation in Chandigarh. As part of the new skill bank created by Dr S.S. Samra of Grecian Super specialty hospital in Mohali, oncologist Jatin Sarin, cardiothoracic surgeon Rahul Kaiche and cardiologist Sudheer Saxena will work together for cancer and cardiac patients in regions north of Delhi.

Currently equipped with 75 beds, the hospital will gradually have 300 beds, with 25 per cent of the space being reserved for economically weaker sections. Dr Samra is managing director at Grecian.

Dr Samra told The Tribune that chemotherapy was no longer the painful process it used to be. He also clarified that the notion of permanent hair fall due to chemotherapy was a myth. “Hair loss is a reversible process. Once chemotherapy is over, hair fall is essentially reversed,” he explained.

Some of the facilities now being made available include treatment of advanced lung cancer with newer targeted therapeutic agents, treatment of refractory advanced and even post transplants multiple myekloma with new agents, treatment of breast cancer with effective combination of antibodies and chemotherapy and treatment of advanced gynaecological malignancies.