Take care of young heart from young — Specialist

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SIBU: More than 200 people turned up for a health talk given by heart specialist Dr Tang Sie Hing at a leading hotel on Saturday, held in line with World Heart Day.

The event, hosted by Sibu Dapsy — the youth section of Sibu DAP — was to bring awareness to young people that heart health care was no longer a concern of the aged.

The global theme of the heart celebration this year is ‘Take the road to a healthy heart’.

Tang, who is also the senior consultant interventional cardiologist and physician of Timberland Medical Centre and the director and cardiologist of SH Tang Heart and Arrhythmia Centre, said the growing trend of young people suffering from heart diseases has been well high-lighted by local media.

He said heart health care among young people should not be taken lightly anymore.

The heart specialist blamed the problem on stress that young people were coping with in modern society, saying many youths had also taken up smoking to deteriorate the health problem.

He said lack of exercise and not eating a healthy diet also added weight to the problem.

Sibu DAP Youth chief John Ng said he was happy with the overwhelming response to the event.

“We hope to call on young people to act proactively to prevent heart disease. We are happy many attending were youths.”

During the talk, Tang gave an insight on the function of the heart — the powerhouse of life and how it could be threatened and affected by lack of care and even diseases like Coxsackie.

After Dr Tang’s talk, the heart specialist was busy entertaining enquiries from the floor.

In line with the Heart Day celebration this year, the global community is also focusing on heart health care among young people.

The European Society of Cardiology (ESC) highlights on the need to adopt a healthy lifestyle early in life to prevent cardiovascular diseases.

Its spokesman Professor Grethe Tell of Norway said: “We are worried because one in 10 schoolchildren is overweight in our society.

“Bad habits have an impact on young hearts and the effects carry on until adulthood. Regular exercise and a healthy diet need to be part of the daily life from childhood. Children should not take up smoking.”