“Healthy Heart” Program Provides Free Blood Pressure and Cholesterol Screenings and Diet Advice across the Kingdom Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia .
A health campaign aimed at raising awareness of high blood pressure has struck an important chord with people in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, organizers claimed today.
In total, hundreds of people have participated in the campaign, visiting clinics and hospitals to have their blood pressure checked and to receive advice on diet and medication.
The “Health Heart Campaign” – an innovative grass-roots program designed to tackle the disease throughout the community – worked with a range of clinics and hospitals in the Kingdom, including Hai El Gamaa Hospital – Jeddah.
A number of physicians have supported the campaign, which is designed to respond to the rising number of people from all walks of life in the region who suffer from the disease.
One of the aims of the campaign is to raise awareness of the risks of high blood pressure– which can result in heart and kidney damage, causing stroke, heart attack, heart failure and other serious problems – particularly among people who may not consider themselves at risk.
Health experts have praised the innovative campaign for its focus on drawing attention to the disease and the dangers that it poses for people of all ages.
“It is worrying, that most people tend to associate high blood pressure and heart attacks with the older generation in the Kingdom, but the truth is that many middle aged people are at risk of heart attack brought on by hypertension simply due to the age factor, plus one or more risk factors,” said Dr. Nabil El Naggar, Consultant Endocrinologist, Hai El Gamaa Hospital.
To support the campaign, a special “Healthy Heart Lifestyle” booklet has been developed, offering a selection of tasty recipes to complement a heart health-conscious diet, cardiovascular workout tips and a range of useful advice.
The campaign also offers reassurance and advice for people currently taking medication for hypertension. While there is no cure for high blood pressure, it can be controlled effectively and its impact on people’s lifestyles can be reduced significantly by following a physician’s advice.
Patients seeking to control blood pressure should aim to lose weight (losing about 9 kgs can drop your blood pressure by between 5-20 mm Hg ), stop smoking, reduce salt intake and take medication exactly as prescribed, according to the current guidelines.
The Healthy Heart campaign is being supported by Novartis, one of the world leaders in healthcare, which is recognized as a leading innovator in the field of cardiovascular well-being. The campaign is another example of Novartis’ positive contribution to tackling disease in the Saudi community.
Novartis AG (NYSE: NVS) is a world leader in offering medicines to protect health, treat disease and improve well-being. Our goal is to discover, develop and successfully market innovative products to treat patients, ease suffering and enhance the quality of life. Novartis is the only company with leadership positions in both patented and generic pharmaceuticals. We are strengthening our medicine-based portfolio, which is focused on strategic growth platforms in innovation-driven pharmaceuticals, high-quality and low-cost generics and leading self-medication OTC brands. In 2005, the Group's businesses achieved net sales of USD 32.2 billion and net income of USD 6.1 billion. Approximately USD 4.8 billion was invested in R&D. Headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, Novartis Group companies employ approximately 91,000 people and operate in over 140 countries around the world. For more information, please visit http://www.novartis.com.
