Correctable heart diseases discussed

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 32861, 9 March 1972, Page 17

Correctable heart diseases discussed

Smoking, high blood-pressure and abnormalities of blood fats were the three main causes of coronary artery disease which could be corrected, Dr F. T. L. Hull, cardiologist at the Princess Margaret Hospital, said when addressing the national conference of the New Zealand Society of Physiotherapists in Christchurch yesterday.

Referring to blood fat abnormalities, Dr Hull said that blood tests could detect relatively easily those who were running a greater risk of heart disease from this cause. Those in the high-risk category could be detected before symptoms developed. He said it was probably too late to acquire this information by the time the symptoms occurred because there was much evidence that a reversal of coronary arteriosclerosis did not occur once it had developed. All that could be hoped for was a

slowing down of the progression. Dr Hull said that the size of New Zealand’s coronary problems needed no emphasis. In 1969, 8510 or 35 per cent of all deaths in New Zealand were from heart diseases. Of these 80 per cent of the deaths (6850) were from coronary artery disease. It had been estimated that for every person dying of coronary artery disease there were a further four persons who had or were having symptoms of the disease, which meant 34,000 people had had or were having heart attacks or angina.