Guest author:
- GYNNA P. GAGELONIA, Communications Manager, Philippine Heart Association (PHA)
Short link: https://wp.me/paaccn-A0X
ANGELES CITY, Pampanga — Doctors see all sorts of health urgencies and emergencies like cardiovascular cases in their daily practices. If you are a young doctor or a general practitioner with no proper training in cardiology, how can you address this situation better?
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the top cause of death in the country, with the prevalence ballooning side by side with the soaring population (recorded at 115.56 million as of 2022), every single day; there are only over 2,313 practicing cardiologists in the country collectively known as the Philippine Heart Association (PHA).
Out of this number, the majority of the PHA member-doctors are based in Metro Manila, while the rest have set up their practice in the 18 PHA Chapters in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.
Thus, time and again, the PHA pillars never tire themselves from constantly encouraging their newly-minted members to go back to their respective hometowns to serve their “kababayan”.
As of 2023, the country has around 169,000 physicians for the population of more than 101 million but only 49 percent are into medical practice, this translates to four doctors for every 10,000 Filipinos.
And there has been a dearth in heart doctors, physicians from other specialties and primary care physicians. This has been a perennial national problem.
This harsh reality fueled the PHA’s desire to bring cardiology to every nook and cranny of the country. Thus, the PHA Midyear Convention 2024 was themed: “Cardiology for ALL.” It was held at the SMX Convention Center in Clark, Angeles City, Pampanga, gathering 411 delegates composed of cardiologists, internists, family doctors, primary care physicians, nurses and medical students.
The convention covered crucial topics — from the basics to the latest in cardiology. “To bridge the gap in shortage of heart doctors, we need to educate and empower medical practitioners and health workers with the ABCs of CVD. They have to learn how to recognize/diagnose CVD while in the ER or during consultation,” said PHA Vice President Dr. Rodney Jimenez, concurrent over-all chair of the Organizing Committee.
The Plenary lecturer, Cebu-based Dr. Alex Junia, president of the ASEAN Federation of Cardiology (AFC); and past governor of the American College of Cardiology Chapter Philippines, shared his great and challenging experiences in leading different academic societies, both local and international, and the doctors’ roles beyond their clinics and hospitals.
Some worth-sharing quotes from his talk were: “Leaders are self-made.”
In grade school, he was a shy boy but was a standout student, academics wise. Hence, he was the unanimous choice as class president. Looking back, he said. “I learned a lot from this experience. Through the years, I learned more from my mentors and past PHA presidents that we can all be leaders. In the process, you develop life-long friendships and cultivate connections.”
During Junia’s PHA presidency (2015), the PHA became a member country of the European Society of Cardiology. He also quipped, “these experiences spurred personal growth. Though I may have missed out on income, I grew as a person, as a leader.”
Junia, a past PHA Cebu president (2010) officially took on the stewardship of the AFC in November 2023. His flagship program is to establish a Valvular Heart Disease and Rheumatic Heard Disease Registry in the Philippines and in the AFC-member countries (Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, Singapore, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam).
Ultimately, the two-day conference was about learning how to serve patients better with the latest in cardiology.
PHA President Dr. Ronald Cuyco said, “For three years, we haven’t had our midyear convention and the last one was in Cebu, that was pre-COVID. We are excited that this year we are doing it face-to-face, we are back to normal and we are co-organizing it with one of the most active chapters of the society, the PHA Central Luzon under the leadership of Dr. Rayzen Canono-Lim.”
Meanwhile, in his lecture about teaching primary care physicians how to diagnose valvular heart disease, Cuyco stressed that “recognition of VHD is a skill that primary care physicians or primary care providers (who are based in hospitals which do not have cardiologists and cardiovascular department) should acquire. Once knowledgeable, they could give emergency care to VHD patients, and refer them to cardiologist echocardiographer or a tertiary hospital for proper care.”
PHA Central Luzon Chapter President Dr. Rayzen Canono-Lim said that “even in Pampanga and the entire Central Luzon, CVD is prevalent partly because we are surrounded by restaurants and Kapampangans are foodies. BPO (business process outsourcing) is a thriving industry here, same with the food business.”
Pampanga boasts of a good number of private and government hospitals. Among the best ones are the Angeles University Foundation Medical Center (which is PHA-accredited) and The Medical City Clark.
Taking on the colossal task of co-hosting the convention with the PHA National, Canono-Lim added, “I attribute the success of the event to the meticulous and hardworking Organizing Committee which is composed of PHA National and Central Luzon chapter members. It was a job well done because we thrive on the Filipino bayanihan spirit.”
Through this particular midyear confab, the PHA pledges anew to continue its mission and commitment to reduce the ravages of heart diseases among Filipinos.
Detecting CVDs
Chest pain is one of the most common reasons that people visit the emergency room or consult their physicians. Pain may feel like a sharp, stabbing pain or a dull ache. More often than not, people seek medical help only because of physical pain, such as chest pain. Still, some dismiss it as simple pain that may be caused by lifting heavy weights, anxiety, trauma to the chest, flatulence, and heartburn.
However, not all CVDs exhibit physical symptoms and even chest pain, according to the PHA. That’s why it is important that healthcare provider, the cardiologist, could test, treat, or help every individual prevent a number of cardiovascular problems.
After all, a cardiologist is a physician who’s an expert in the care of your heart and blood vessels. They can also specialize in specific areas, such as abnormal heart rhythms, heart failure or heart problems you’ve had since birth. Given the lack of cardiovascular specialists, the PHA is promoting Cardiology for ALL.
CVD is still the leading cause of mortality worldwide
According to the World Health Organization (WHO, an estimated 17.9 million people died from CVDs in 2019, representing 32% of all global deaths. Of these deaths, 85% were due to heart attack and stroke.
Latest data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) showed that CVD continues to reign as the top cause of mortality in the nation, with 65,346 recorded cases or 19.1 percent of the total deaths among Filipinos.
CVD is acquired and passed-on by your parents. Knowing your risks and doing something about it will put CVD at bay. And with more and more people working or living a stressful life to make both ends meet, having unhealthy lifestyle (not adhering to the PHA lifestyle code 52100 – 5 servings of vegetables/fruits daily; not more than 2 grams of sodium daily; 1 hour of physical activity daily; 0 sugared beverages and 0 smoking); and compounding it with vices and prolonged sit-down lifestyle; becomes an ordinary thing or the norm, CVD is just lurking around nearby.
PHA has been repeatedly harping on the message that CVD is preventable as long as you stick to 52100, avoiding too much stress and avoiding alcohol abuse. Early detection is also important along with counselling, management, and proper medication.
What are CVDs?
A group of disorders of the heart and blood vessels, CVDs include:
- coronary heart disease, a disease of the blood vessels supplying the heart muscle;
- cerebrovascular disease, a disease of the blood vessels supplying the brain;
- peripheral arterial disease, a disease of blood vessels supplying the arms and legs;
- rheumatic heart disease, damage to the heart muscle and heart valves from rheumatic fever, caused by streptococcal bacteria;
- congenital heart disease -– birth defects that affect the normal development and functioning of the heart caused by malformations of the heart structure from birth;
- and deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism – blood clots in the leg veins, which can dislodge and move to the heart and lungs.
Heart attacks and strokes, on the other hand, are usually acute events and are mainly caused by a blockage that prevents blood from flowing to the heart or brain. The most common reason for this is a build-up of fatty deposits on the inner walls of the blood vessels that supply the heart or brain. Strokes can be caused by bleeding from a blood vessel in the brain or from blood clots. (/)