30% of patients in Burundi suffer from heart diseases

On the occasion of the celebration of the World Heart Day on 29 September, heart specialist doctors call on people to change their lifestyle as heart disease is the main leading cause of death throughout the world.

Constantin Nyamuzangura: “Heart diseases are the leading cause of death all over the world.”

Constantin Nyamuzangura, Heart Specialist and Chairman of the Burundian Cardiology Society, says heart diseases constitute a major challenge to public health. “Over 17.9 million of people die of heart diseases each year all over the world,” he says. He also says a survey conducted at Kamenge University Hospital-CHUK in 2017 reveals out that about 31% of the patients suffered from heart diseases. Nyamuzangura says the main causes of the heart diseases are lifestyle change, hypertension, stroke, kidney failure, stress, high cholesterol, tobacco, lack of physical exercise, age… “Men are more affected than women”, he says adding that people should prevent the disease as heart specialists are very few in Burundi.

According to him, Burundi has 16 heart specialists including 14 based in Bujumbura city and two in the countryside. He says people might contribute to the prevention of risk factors by drinking enough water, eating small quantity of salt and sugar, drinking small quantity of alcohol, stopping smoking and doing enough physical exercises.

Etienne Niyonzima, Director of Program of non-communicable diseases in the Ministry of Public Health says the ministry contributes much to the fight against such disease. “We continue screening people and sensitizing them to the danger of the disease as well as equipping health centers,” he says.

For him, the Ministry faces several challenges related to the lack of enough heart specialist doctors and health centers that are not well equipped. “People must prevent this non-communicable disease as treating the disease is very expensive,” he says. He calls on insurance companies to intervene in the care of the patients.

The World Heart Day will be celebrated in Burundi in Karusi Province on 28 September. “It will be an opportunity to raise rural people’s awareness of the risk factors of the heart diseases and screen them on the spot free of charge”, says Niyonzima.