Asia, Europe, Africa, Middle East at greatest risk of deaths from heart-diseases: Study
New Delhi (PTI): Regions of Asia, Europe, Africa and the Middle East are estimated to have the highest burden of deaths due to heart-related diseases, with high blood pressure, raised cholesterol, dietary risks and air pollution being the leading causes, a study has found.
Globally, heart-disease related deaths increased from 12.4 million in 1990 to 19.8 million in 2022, signifying high rates of such illnesses, the researchers found after analysing data from across 21 regions. They further found these deaths to have increased from 2015-2022 in 27 out of the 204 locations studied.
The researchers, including those from the National Institutes of Health and Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), University of Washington, US, said that these numbers also reflected global population growth and ageing and the contributions from preventable metabolic, environmental, and behavioural risks.
"The 2023 Almanac represents an important resource for using locally relevant data to inform local-level actions for heart-healthy and thriving communities," said study author George A. Mensah, director at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), US.
The research team found that ischemic heart disease remained the leading cause of global cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality with an age-standardised rate of about 110 deaths per 1,00,000 population, followed by brain hemorrhage and ischemic stroke. They have published their findings in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
Ischemia refers to the development of local anaemia in a given body part sometimes resulting from malfunction in blood vessels, such as enlargement or clotting.
The researchers also said that the highest mortality rates per 1,00,000 people attributable to high systolic blood pressure were found in the regions of Central Asia, Eastern Europe, North Africa and the Middle East.
Further, the highest rates of heart-disease burden attributable to dietary risk were in Central Asia, Oceania, and parts of North Africa and the Middle East, they said.
"Cardiovascular diseases are a persistent challenge that lead to an enormous number of premature and preventable deaths," said Gregory A. Roth, senior author of the paper and associate professor at IHME.
At 553 deaths per 1,00,000 population, Eastern Europe had the highest total CVD death rates, while countries in Australasia were found to have the lowest of these rates at 122.5 deaths per 1,00,000 people.
"There are many inexpensive, effective treatments. We know what risk factors we need to identify and treat. There are simple healthy choices that people can make to improve their health. This atlas provides detailed information on where countries stand in their efforts to prevent and treat cardiovascular diseases," said Roth.
The researchers form a part of the Global Burden of Cardiovascular Diseases Collaboration, an alliance between the Journal, IHME and NHLBI launched in 2020.
Serving as an update to 2022's Global Burden of Diseases (GBD) Study, the 2023 publication includes data from 204 countries and territories, highlighting the leading global modifiable cardiovascular risk factors, their contribution to disease burden and recent prevention advancements, the researchers said.
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NIA court to complete framing of charges against 2010 hand-chopping case accused on May 15
Kochi (PTI): A special court here will complete proceedings for framing charges against the prime accused in the 2010 hand-chopping case involving professor T J Joseph, in which PFI activists were accused of attacking him at Muvattupuzha.
Ernakulam Special Court for NIA cases judge P K Mohandas, on April 30, heard the arguments of counsel for accused Savad and Shafeer C and decided to proceed with framing charges against the duo.
A group chopped off Thodupuzha Newman College professor Joseph's right hand in July 2010, accusing him of religious blasphemy in a question paper he had prepared.
The case, later taken over by the National Investigation Agency (NIA), resulted in the conviction of 19 accused.
The first accused, Savad, who allegedly chopped off Joseph’s palm, was arrested in Berram in Mattannur, Kannur, in January 2024, where he had allegedly been hiding under the pseudonym Shajahan.
The NIA also arrested Shafeer, who allegedly arranged shelter and provided logistical support to Savad at Chakkad and Mattannur in Kannur since 2020.
On April 30, the court heard the counsel for the accused and the NIA prosecutor on framing charges against the duo.
"On going through the documents and evidence in the case and on hearing the counsel for the accused and the prosecutor, I am of the opinion that there are grounds for presuming that the first accused has committed offences punishable under provisions of the IPC, the Explosive Substances Act and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, and that the second accused has committed offences punishable under the IPC and the UAPA, and there are materials for framing charges under these provisions against the accused," the court said.
The court directed that Savad be produced and Shafeer, who is on bail, appear before it on May 15 for recording their pleas as part of the charge-framing process.
After framing the charges, the court will schedule the trial in the case.
