DOH warns vs holiday heart syndrome
MANILA – The Department of Health (DOH) on Monday cautioned about holiday heart syndrome which may be caused by too much alcohol, stress, lack of rest, and salty foods.
In a statement, Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa reminded Filipinos to avoid consuming too much fatty, salty, and sweet foods during the holidays.
“Damihan ang pagkain ng gulay at prutas na dapat ay kalahati ng inyong Pinggang Pinoy. Humanap po tayo ng oras na mag-ehersisyo (Eat a lot of vegetables and fruits which must be half of the Filipino Plate. Make time to exercise),” he said.
He noted these are key in avoiding holiday heart syndrome which could lead to arrhythmia or abnormal heart rhythm, 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.
Article continues after this advertisementFrom Dec. 1 to 20, the PHC logged seven new stroke cases.
Article continues after this advertisementThe number of stroke cases may rise after Christmas and New Year if Filipinos do not avoid consuming too much alcohol and food at parties, it said.
It added that such a trend was observed in 2023 when 38 stroke cases were recorded in December. This figure increased to 42 cases in January 2024.
It also recorded 110 cases of acute coronary heart syndrome in December 2023, which reached 115 in January 2024.
Furthermore, the East Avenue Medical Center reported a continuous increase in stroke cases every December from 2020 to 2023.
The medical center said it had 188 stroke patients in December 2020, 226 in 2021, 247 in 2022, and 328 in 2023.
The DOH also included private hospitals in the rounds. The St. Luke’s Medical Center in Quezon City reported 295 stroke patients in 2022 and 415 stroke patients in 2023.
It logged 339 stroke discharges from January to November this year.
