High heart attack risk in Gauteng
Pharma Dynamics releases a study that shows which provinces are the most at risk of heart disease.
Gauteng could now be known as South Africa’s heart attack hotspot, as a study reveals the risk of individuals having a heart attack is highest in the province.
According to the study by Pharma Dynamics, individuals living in Gauteng are twice as likely to have a heart attack than individuals living in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN). About 3 359 emergency calls were logged for heart-related conditions in Gauteng in the two-year study period from May 2014 to April 2016, while only 1 692 calls were logged in KZN.
However, the Western Cape is not influenced by the atmosphere of the coast as much as KZN, as 2 320 heart-related calls were logged within the study period.
Individuals in the Northern Cape and North West are in low-risk areas with both provinces only logging under 500 calls, but Limpopo seems to be the least stressful province, with only 201 calls.
According to the findings, the most calls generally originated from the larger metros.
Spokesperson for Pharma Dynamics, Mariska van Aswegen said, “Residents in the majority of these areas are among the least likely to exercise regularly and smoking rates also tend to be high, which further heightens their risk of heart disease.
“Poor diet is also commonly associated with heart conditions. Unfortunately, the demands of a fast-paced urban lifestyle don’t leave much room for nutritional meal planning and it’s increasingly putting people into contact with fast-food, which often carries a high fat, sugar and salt content.”
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