PUBLIC WARNED VS HOLIDAY HEART SYNDROME

THE Department of Health (DOH) on Monday warned the public about holiday heart syndrome which may be caused by too much stress, lack of rest, alcohol and eating salty foods.

Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa cautioned  Filipinos to avoid too much consumption of fatty, salty and sweet foods during the holidays.

“Damihan ang pagkain ng gulay at prutas na dapat ay kalahati ng inyong Pinggang Pinoy. Humanap pa tayo ng oras na mag-ehersisyo,” he said.

Herbosa said that eating fruits and vegetables and having enough exercise are keys in avoiding holiday heart syndrome which could lead to arrhythmia or abnormal heart, a cause of stroke.

Over the weekend, the DOH conducted Ligtas Christmas Hospital Preparedness and Response Rounds to ensure hospitals are ready to attend to cases related to holiday heart syndrome such as stroke.

The Philippine Heart Center (PHC) reported monitoring 60 stroke cases from July to November.

From Dec. 1 to 20, the PHC has logged seven new cases of stroke.

The Health Department said the number of stroke cases may rise after Christmas and New Year if Filipinos do not avoid too much alcohol and eating at parties.

It added that such a trend has been observed in 2023 when 38 cases of stroke were recorded in December. The figure increased to 42 cases in January 2024.

The DOH also recorded 110 cases of acute coronary heart syndrome in December 2023, which reached 115 in January 2024.

The East Avenue Medical Center (EAMC) reported a continuous increase in stroke every December from 2020 to 2023.

The EAMC said they had 188 stroke patients in December 2020, 226 in 2021, 247 in 2022 and 328 in 2023.

The DOH also visited private hospitals. The St. Luke’s Medical Center in Quezon City reported 295 stroke patients in 2022, and 415 stroke patients were recorded in 2023.

St. Lukes Medical Center records showed it has logged 339 stroke discharges from January to November this year.