DD Correspondent
Jammu, Emphasising the importance of early detection and preventive care, Head of the Department of Cardiology, Government Medical College (GMC) Jammu, Dr Sushil Sharma, conducted a day-long Cardiac Awareness-cum-Health Check-up Camp at Hari Mandir, Rehari Colony, Jammu. The camp aimed to sensitise people about the growing burden of cardiovascular diseases and the importance of identifying risk factors at an early stage.
Addressing the participants, Dr Sushil said cardiovascular disease often develops silently over several years, with the process of plaque formation in arteries potentially beginning long before clinical symptoms appear. He stressed that timely screening, healthy lifestyle choices and regular monitoring can significantly reduce the risk of heart-related complications.
Dr Sushil explained that conventional cardiovascular risk assessments remain an important part of preventive healthcare, but their predictive value may be limited in younger individuals. Since age is a major component of many short-term risk calculations, younger people may sometimes receive reassuring risk estimates despite having significant risk factors or an inherited predisposition.
He cautioned that people with hypertension, abnormal cholesterol levels, obesity, diabetes, tobacco exposure or a family history of premature heart disease should not ignore their risk simply because their short-term assessment appears favourable.
Highlighting emerging approaches in preventive cardiology, Dr Sushil spoke about the complementary role of cardiovascular imaging and polygenic risk scores (PRS) in identifying cardiovascular vulnerability at an earlier stage. Imaging may help detect atherosclerotic plaque even in people without symptoms, while PRS can provide information about inherited susceptibility based on multiple genetic variants.
He clarified that advanced screening methods should complement, rather than replace, established preventive practices. Genetic predisposition does not mean that heart disease is inevitable, while a normal scan at one point in life cannot guarantee protection against future disease.
Dr Sushil advised people to focus on controlling blood pressure and cholesterol, maintaining a healthy weight, undertaking regular physical activity, consuming a nutritious diet, getting adequate sleep, managing stress and completely avoiding tobacco. He also encouraged periodic health check-ups and timely medical consultation whenever risk factors or warning symptoms arise.
He said the goal of modern preventive cardiology should be to identify vulnerability before it develops into a major cardiovascular event. Combining clinical assessment with appropriate screening, imaging and emerging genetic tools, he added, can help doctors develop more personalised prevention strategies.
Prominent members of the area, including Ashwani Suri, Sanjay Bali, Saudaghar Gupta, Surinder Choudhary (Ex-Corps), Renu Choudhary, Anu Bali (Ex-Corps), Naveen Bali (Ex-President), Kishore Sharma and Rajesh Dutta, appreciated Dr Sushil and his team for organising the awareness and health check-up camp and providing accessible preventive healthcare services. MLA West Shri Arvind Gupta also graced the occasion.
Those who participated in the medical team included Dr Bhola Kumar, Dr Ajay Aditya Kerni, Dr Rajesh Gupta (Paed), Dr Aditya Sharma, Dr Divyanshi Sharma and Dr Dushyant Sharma.
Paramedics and volunteers included Amnish Datta, Rajinder Singh, Sudhir Bharti, Shubham Sharma, Makhan Sharma, Mukesh Kumar, Rahul Vaid, Harpreet Singh, Vikas Kumar, Narinder Datta and Nirvair Singh Bali.