Protect your heart before trouble strikes

Heart disease can develop quietly, long before a person feels unwell. In Bangladesh, many people live with high blood pressure, diabetes or raised cholesterol without knowing it. By the time these conditions are detected, they may already have contributed to a heart attack or stroke.

World Heart Day, observed on September 29, reminds us that protecting the heart begins before symptoms appear. Regular checks, practical lifestyle changes and accessible treatment can help prevent avoidable illness and deaths.

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High blood pressure is a concern. According to the World Heart Federation, around 28 percent of adults in Bangladesh have hypertension. Yet feeling well can create false reassurance: the condition often causes no obvious symptoms while damaging blood vessels.

Bangladesh has shown that better care can make a difference. Since its launch in 2018, the Bangladesh Hypertension Control Initiative has strengthened services and medicine availability, helping more people receive treatment and bring their blood pressure under control. These gains need to reach everyone who requires care.

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Sean Taylor

Daily surroundings also shape cardiovascular risk. Tobacco smoke and air pollution damage blood vessels and promote inflammation. Diets high in salt, unhealthy fats and refined carbohydrates add to the burden. Average daily salt consumption in Bangladesh is approximately 10 grams, roughly twice the World Health Organisation’s recommended maximum.

Meanwhile, urbanisation is changing how people work and travel. Walking, cycling and physically demanding everyday tasks may give way to more sedentary routines. Safe places to walk and cleaner air are therefore essential parts of prevention.

There are five practical steps people can take.

First, know your numbers. Have your blood pressure checked and discuss blood glucose and cholesterol testing with a healthcare professional. Detecting a problem early creates an opportunity to act before complications develop.

Second, avoid tobacco in all forms and exposure to second-hand smoke. Quitting can be difficult; support from healthcare professionals, family and friends can help people make and sustain this change.

Third, make manageable changes to meals. Use less salt in cooking, limit heavily fried and processed foods, and include more vegetables, fruit and pulses. A healthier eating pattern that lasts is more useful than a restrictive diet that is abandoned.

Fourth, build movement into daily life. Adults should aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate physical activity each week. Brisk walking and cycling are useful options. Where possible, choose routes and times with less air pollution.

Fifth, follow prescribed treatment even when you feel well. Take chest pain, sudden breathlessness, facial drooping, arm weakness or difficulty speaking seriously and seek urgent medical help.

Individual effort needs public support. Affordable medicines, reliable primary care, tobacco control, healthier food and action on air pollution make healthy choices more achievable. Bangladesh has policies to build on; their value depends on consistent implementation.

The World Heart Federation’s “Don’t Miss a Beat” campaign encourages people to recognise risks and calls for stronger action from decision-makers. That message must extend beyond a single day. Protecting hearts requires everyday habits and a health system that helps people sustain them.

The writer is the Director of Science and Public Health at the World Heart Federation.