Mayo – a heart health black spot?
Olof Gill
County Mayo has one of the highest cholesterol rates in Ireland, according to the Flora proactive screening campaign that conducted testing around the county in 2006.
The Flora roadshow’s visit to Mayo in 2006 revealed a shocking 60 per cent of those tested in the county had a cholesterol level greater than 5mmol per litre, which is the maximum recommended by health professionals. It also found that 35 per cent of people tested had a blood pressure reading of 140/90 – again, higher than the normal rate.
This is the second year that the Flora proactive heart health screening campaign has been run in Ireland. In 2006, over 3,000 people across 33 major towns and cities were tested and the results revealed that one third of the Irish population had higher than normal cholesterol and blood pressure levels. The screening campaign found that overall 33.3 per cent of people in Ireland had a cholesterol level greater than 5mmol per litre and 31 per cent had a blood pressure reading of 140/90 mmHg. A staggering one in three tested had never had their cholesterol or blood pressure checked before.
The statistics were particularly worrying for Mayo: the county came out worst in Ireland with 63 per cent of those tested registering levels of above 5mmol per litre, followed by Tipperary at 52 per cent, Offaly at 48 per cent, Sligo at 46 per cent and Westmeath at 42 per cent.
However, worrying though this statistic may be, it is not definitive evidence that Mayo people have the worst cholesterol in Ireland. Speaking to The Mayo News, Irene Gibson of the Croí cardiology foundation in Galway explained that these alarming results were garnered from too small a test group to speak for the county as a whole. In total, no more than 200 people would have been tested in the county, and most of these may have belonged to one of the high-risk groups. She added that ‘in terms of the work we do, our screening found no significant difference between Galway, Mayo and Roscommon’.
Nevertheless, cholesterol and other heart health issues such as high blood pressure and lack of exercise are serious problems in Irish society. Ireland has one of the worst cardiovascular disease records in Europe. In 2005, 9,984 people died from coronary heart disease, stroke or other diseases of the circulatory system accounting for 37 per cent of all deaths, ahead of cancer which accounted for 28 per cent of all deaths in 2005. Deaths from heart attack in Ireland remain high at 176 per 100,000 population compared to the EU average of 108 and Ireland is still above the EU average for premature deaths from cardiovascular disease.
The heart health screening unit will visit major towns and cities across Ireland between 5 July and 28 August. In addition to free cholesterol and blood pressure testing with a qualified nurse on the day, everyone tested will receive nutritional advice and a copy of the ‘Heart Health Guide’. Mayo testing will take place on Wednesday, August 22.
What is Cholesterol?
Cholesterol is a soft, waxy substance found among the lipids (fats) in the bloodstream and in all your body’s cells. It’s an important part of a healthy body
because it’s used to form cell membranes, some hormones and is needed for other functions. But a high level of cholesterol in the blood — hypercholesterolemia — is a major risk factor for coronary heart disease, which leads to heart attack.
Cholesterol and other fats can’t dissolve in the
blood. They have to be transported to and from the cells by special carriers called lipoproteins. There are several kinds, but the ones to focus on are low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and high-density lipoprotein (HDL).
First cardiac surgery in the west
CARDIAC surgery took place for the first time in the west of Ireland in recent weeks, in University College Hospital, Galway. Raymond J Rooney, Chairman of Croí, the West or Ireland Cardiology Foundation, welcomed this development, emphasising that this could not have happened without the intense campaign and the financial support that Croí offered the HSE facilities.
Mr Rooney said it took 21 years of hard fund-raising and intensive political campaigning to achieve these facilities. “At times, cardiac surgery for the west of Ireland looked dim with other hospitals in Dublin and Limerick being favoured but Croí never gave up hope and our case was strengthened by the tremendous financial and political support we received in the west of Ireland.
“Successive Ministers for Health and Taoisigh were canvassed and lobbied by executives of Croí emphasising the case that people in the West of Ireland should not have to travel long distances for cardiac surgery,” said Mr Rooney, who described it as a triumph for the people of the west of Ireland.
Mr Rooney also announced that a planning application has been lodged by Croí in respect of the construction of Croí House, a residential and training structure on a site in Newcastle which has been given by Galway City Council to the foundation. Croí House, which will cost in the region of three million euro, will have residential facilities available for those whose relatives are having cardiac surgery, in order to be close to them at this stressful time. In addition, Croí House will have facilities to train people in CPR and all aspects of assistance in cardiac disease.
