by: Dr Atika, General Practitioner

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death for men, women, and people of most racial and ethnic groups in the world. This serious condition claims an estimated 17.9 million lives around the world each year. In Indonesia, the prevalence of CVDs is at 1.5%, based on the 2018 Riset Kesehatan Dasar (Basic Health Research) report.

Cardiovascular diseases are not the only non-communicable diseases known to attack a great number of people in Indonesia. Cases of diabetes mellitus (DM) are also high among the population, and the count is increasing each year. In 2018, DM prevalence jumped to 8.5% from 6.9% in 2013.

Meanwhile, due to lack of data, the exact prevalence of all other non-communicable diseases in Indonesia cannot be determined. But one thing is for sure: Common non-communicable diseases are on the rise. This fact urges us to look for effective strategies to overcome this reality. One of them is by looking at disease risk factors due to an individual's lifestyle as they play a significant role in the occurrence of these sorts of diseases. 

Unhealthy lifestyle and other major disease risk factors 

Unhealthy lifestyle habits are happening everywhere. It is common to find smokers who may or may not know that smoking is a huge risk factor for CVD. High blood pressure, high cholesterol, and smoking are key risk factors for heart disease. About half of people in the United States, for instance, have at least one of these three risk factors. Several other medical conditions and lifestyle choices can also put people at a higher risk for heart disease, including diabetes, being overweight, having an unhealthy diet, and excessive alcohol use.

Doing irregular physical activity is also a widespread habit. A sedentary lifestyle means having very low interest in doing sports or exercise. Sadly, this habit can lower HDL cholesterol, (which in turn raises CVD risk) leading to weight gain, or even obesity. Whether or not you are aware of your everyday unhealthy habits, your risk of contracting diseases continues to rise. This is why it’s very important to undergo a routine health screening to find your risk factors sooner and plan strategies to mitigate them.

The result of an impressive six-year follow-up study proves our point here. According to this study, people who take up regular health checks generally have lower CVD risk factor values than controls. They are also more likely to receive risk factor interventions. The values of their risk factors also fell following a health check on BMI, blood pressure, and smoking (all of which may be of public health importance).

Emergence of mobile health screening

Currently, the rapid development of health technology has made it possible for an individual to do a simple health screening on their own. Their gadgets can do a lot in terms of health screening nowadays. KlikDokter is one of the leading providers in this area of digital health service. 

KlikDokter offers a range of options and services to choose from. For disease prevention, the application has risk screening tools for cancer, CVD, diabetes, and obesity that are validated by experts and can be accessed on any mobile gadget. It also allows online booking for hospital appointments, as well as facilitates quick and affordable teleconsultations with general practitioners and specialists.

Find out more about KlikDokter here.