PESHAWAR, June 8: Cardiac diseases are on the rise in the subcontinent, according to a well-known cardiologist.

At a news conference on Friday, he underlined the need for taking preventive measures to avoid heart diseases.

Dr M. Hafiz, head of the cardiology department of the Lady Reading Hospital, said that in order to create awareness among the people regarding cardiac diseases a workshop would be held at the Lady Reading Hospital on Saturday, which will be attended by experts from across the country, including Dr Shehrayar of the World Heart Federation, Dr Abdul Samad and Dr Azher Kiani.

The heart specialist said that heart diseases in the region were increasing at an alarming rate. “Cardiac diseases in the South Asian region are spreading at a much higher rate than American and European countries,” he remarked.

Dr Hafiz said eating vegetables and fruits, avoiding smoking and exercising regularly were the best preventive measures. He said that he and his colleagues had prepared a Cardiology Preventive Guideline that would be launched at the workshop.

He also cited a recently conducted survey, which found that 22 per cent of the people in a government department smoked while 9 per cent were ex-smokers. Thirty-five per cent were suffering from high blood pressure, 37 per cent from high cholesterol, 22 per cent were overweight and five per cent had high heartbeat.