Hallym University Chuncheon Sacred Heart Hospital

"Reduce fat intake and quit smoking. Like those with hypertension, you should keep taking medication for hyperlipidemia," Dean Gotto(right) and Prof. Han share the opinion. They stress that a change of lifestyle is a must to stave off rising heart diseases.
When someone quips, 'Is Asia an explosive warehouse?' he surely is referring to a soaring mortality rate caused by heart diseases in developing countries. Korea by all means is no exception. A metabolic syndrome leads directly to angina which can cause death. Visceral obesity, dyslipidemia, impaired glucose tolerance which is a preceding phase of diabetes, and hypertension are major components of the syndrome. Hallym University Medical Center(HUMC) invited Professor Antonio M. Gotto, the Stephen and Suzanne Weiss Dean of Weill Cornell Medical College, to the 7th Hallym-Columbia-Weill Cornell-NYP Symposium held on June 9 in Seoul. Dean Gotto, a world-renowned authority on heart diseases, served as chairman of the American Heart Association(AHA), receiving honors from international medical associations for his research on a risk factor for cardiovascular diseases(CVDs) and their therapies. The JoongAng Ilbo interviewed Dean Gotto and Prof. Kyoo-Rok Han, Chief of the Division of Cardiology at Kangdong Sacred Heart Hospital(KSHH), Hallym University Medical Center.

"Higher fat intake of Koreans increases CVD risks
An increased intake of high-fat diet in a westernized dietary habit of Koreans has seriously raised the serum lipids levels. The number of coronary artery diseases and cerebrovascular diseases among Asians is growing with increasing blood cholesterol due largely to their changed lifestyle. The key factor for such high prevalence of cardiovascular diseases is a westernized dietary habit followed by high smoking rates and lack of exercise. Korean women have higher levels of low density lipoprotein cholesterol(LDL-C) than those of American women's, which eloquently shows that hypertension, lack of exercise, overweight and increased intake of sodium are gradually affecting their health.

"Reduce fat intake and quit smoking. Like those with hypertension, you should keep taking medication for hyperlipidemia," Dean Gotto(right) and Prof. Han share the opinion. They stress that a change of lifestyle is a must to stave off rising heart diseases.

Smoking reduces lipase
Smoking is another risk factor for CVDs as it decreases the arterial endothelial function. When you start smoking in your teens, your blood vessels are ruined as much and you simply invite atherosclerosis.

Menopause sharply raises possibility of CVDs
Women show lower risks of cardiovascular diseases than men before their menopause, but their risks are getting closer to those of men's. Prevention should, in any case, be put before treatment. Statins work both in prevention and treatment of CVDs. The length of a hospital stay of a treated group dropped by a whopping 44 percent over a placebo group.

Exercise, controlled dietary life, statins help prevent heart disease
If one has diabetes or a history of CVDs, he should keep adequate LDL-C level. The statins are needed if LDL-C level is still high even with changes in lifestyle and dietary habit. Taking statins coupled with dietary and exercise therapies will further bring about satisfactory results. Doses of the statins and antihypertensive agents can be reduced. To protect your heart, you should quit smoking and drink moderately.

Translated by Younghee Han, Int'l Operations Team, HUMC (symposium@hallym.or.kr)