[Photo: File]

Heart disease continues to threaten lives across the Pacific, with unhealthy diets and inactive lifestyles increasing the risk of serious illness and death.

Pacific Specialist Healthcare’s award winning cardiothoracic and vascular surgeon Dr Sanjeev Khulbey warns that the danger often builds over years through everyday choices, including fatty foods, sugary drinks, processed meals and a lack of exercise.

Dr Khulbey says food and lifestyle are likely to play a greater role in heart disease than stress alone.

He says that poor eating habits and physical inactivity can lead to obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes, all major risk factors for heart disease.

In Fiji, ischaemic heart disease and stroke remain among the leading causes of death.

Dr Khulbey says the concern is that many people do not recognise the damage until their condition becomes serious.

By then, treatment may involve major surgery, and the consequences can be life-changing.

Pacific Specialist Healthcare in Nadi has repaired or replaced heart valves in 30 patients from Samoa, Vanuatu, Nauru, Tuvalu, Tonga, Kiribati and the Solomon Islands.

One patient from New Zealand has also received treatment.

The hospital’s work highlights the importance of specialised cardiac services for patients across the region.

However, Dr Khulbey says preventing heart disease must receive greater attention, alongside access to treatment.

He says healthier food choices, regular exercise and early health checks can help people reduce their risk before serious complications develop.

His warning is that heart disease should not be addressed only when a patient reaches the operating theatre.

For Pacific communities, the challenge is to make healthier choices today to prevent avoidable illness and save lives in the years ahead.