Beijing residents suffer from diabetes

Beijing's Health Bureau says 8.6 percent of the city's permanent residents between the ages of 18 and 79 suffer from diabetes. Diabetes has become one of the most serious health threats in Beijing, Xinhua, China's state-run news agency, reported. Along with confirmed patients, the bureau said 5.1 percents of Beijing residents in the same age group are potential diabetes patients

Increasing cardiovascular disease in China: urgent need for prevention

At over 40%, the mortality rate due to cardiovascular disease in China is amongst the highest in the world and has been rightly described as an epidemic. Its population faces a catalogue of CVD risk factor statistics that expose high levels of obesity, diabetes, cholesterol and blood pressure, and a smoking habit within males that is proving stubborn to address. To support efforts to implement a series of treatment and prevention strategies that can help reverse these worrying trends, the European Society of Cardiology announces that it will deliver an educational programme at the 22nd Great Wall International Congress of Cardiology. The ESC has been invited for the second time by its affiliate, the Chinese Society of Cardiology, to co-host a special symposium during the congress, which runs from 15 October in Beijing

Alcohol consumption linked to coronary artery disease in Chinese men

"A Chinese study has suggested that moderate-to-heavy alcohol consumption in Chinese men increases the risk of coronary artery disease. Among a large number of Chinese men presenting with chest pain or EKG changes, sequential subjects undergoing cardiac angiography were evaluated for obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD) lesions according to their reported recent alcohol intake. The study population consisted of 1,476 consecutive men 36 to 84 years of age; participants were categorized as nondrinkers, light drinkers, moderate drinkers, or heavy drinkers. Adjusted odds ratios for angiographically proved CAD for light, moderate, and heavy drinking were 1.16, 1.78 and 2.18. Compared to non-drinking, adjusted odds ratios were 1.03 for drinking 0 to 15 years, 1.61 for 16 to 30 years, and 1.98 for >30 years. The authors concluded that moderate-to-heavy alcohol consumption increased the risk of CAD in Chinese men. CAD risk tended to increase with an increase in frequency and duration of drinking. This was a very select group of patients (those presenting with chest pain or EKG changes), and not typical of the Chinese population. It is not possible from the present study to say that the association of alcohol intake with CAD is different between Chinese and Western populations, as the present study gives results only for a very select group of patients. The most important outcome regarding CAD is the occurrence of clinical events (myocardial infarction, cardiac death, etc.). The detection of such events requires long-term follow-up studies to be able to judge the overall effects of alcohol drinking on CAD

China becomes world's new diabetes capital

"China now has more people with diabetes than any other country, a new report shows, making it clear that the nation's soaring economic growth is taking a toll on public health. According to the report, more than 92 million adults in China have diabetes, and nearly 150 million more are well on their way to developing it. The disease is more common in people with large waistlines and in those who live in cities, the report indicates. "For every person in the world with HIV there are three people in China with diabetes," said David Whiting, an epidemiologist with the International Diabetes Federation, who was not involved in the research. The Federation projected last year that some 435 million people would have diabetes by 2030. "With this new study, we're going to have to rerun our estimate," Whiting told Reuters Health. The report, published Thursday in the New England Journal of Medicine, is based on a nationally representative sample of more than 46,000 people who were tested for diabetes"

High blood pressure tops the list of preventable deaths in China

"High blood pressure is the leading preventable cause of death in China, causing 2.3 million deaths a year, researchers reported on Monday. Their paper, released online by The Lancet, was done by scientists at Tulane University, the National Center for Cardiovascular Disease in Beijing and other institutions. It was based on a study of nearly 170,000 Chinese ages 40 or over who were first gathered in 1991 for medical exams that included blood pressure tests. About 1.3 million of the deaths occurred in men under age 72 or women under 75, the average life expectancies in China in 2005. Most were caused by strokes and aneurysms, followed by heart attacks. The study was financed by the American Heart Association, the National Institutes of Health and China’s Ministries of Health and Science and Technology" - New York Times

World Congress of Cardiology Scientific Sessions 2010

"The World Heart Federation is proud to announce the next World Congress of Cardiology Scientific Sessions in Beijing, China from 16-19 June 2010. The World Heart Federation is very grateful for the support of the Chinese Society of Cardiology and the Chinese Medical Association in hosting the WCC Scientific Sessions 2010. Another exciting development of the WCC Scientific Sessions 2010 is that the 3rd International Conference on Women, Heart Disease and Stroke will be incorporated within the scientific programme and this theme will be fully reflected throughout."

Experts warn of China health time bomb

"International health experts warned China it must tackle a growth in chronic diseases or face a health and economic time bomb. A report by U.S. and Chinese researchers urged Chinese to cut their intake of fatty foods and salt, and to stop smoking and start exercising. The report, in the British medical journal The Lancet, also called on the government to launch campaigns to promote healthier habits. The researchers said that as China has become increasingly affluent, diets have worsened, putting a growing number of Chinese at risk of heart and lung disease" - VOA

Passive smoking raises artery disease risk in women

"Breathing second-hand tobacco smoke significantly increases the risk of women developing peripheral artery disease (PAD), heart disease and stroke, a study in China has found. Previous studies have drawn strong links between passive smoking and stroke and heart disease, but this is the first time that an association between second-hand smoke and PAD has been found. PAD is a circulatory problem in which narrowed arteries reduce blood flow to the limbs, causing pain and increasing the risk of suffering a heart attack or stroke. The study, published in the journal Circulation, involved 1,209 non-smoking women in Beijing over the age of 60. Of these, 477 were passive smokers either at home or at work. Researchers documented 431 prevalent cases of coronary heart disease, 172 cases of stroke and 271 cases of PAD during the course of the study and the findings showed consistently that the passive smokers were at far higher risk." - Reuters