People with cardiovascular disease should be especially careful to prevent situations that might trigger an onset, as temperatures can change rapidly in autumn, the Health Promotion Administration (HPA) said on World Heart Day yesterday.
Temperature differences between morning and evening are usually large, sometimes up to 10°C, after the autumnal equinox, the HPA said, adding that body temperature changes narrow or widen blood vessels, with narrower blood vessels increasing blood pressure and heightening the risk of heart attacks and strokes.
WHO statistics show that an estimated 17.9 million people died from cardiovascular disease in 2016, 31 percent of global deaths, the HPA said, adding that heart disease was the second-leading cause of death in Taiwan last year, taking 21,569 lives, an average of one person every 24 minutes.
The number is 53,977 people if deaths caused by cerebral stroke, hypertension, diabetes, kidney disease and vascular disease are included, it said.
HPA Director-General Wang Ying-wei (王英偉) urged people with chronic diseases and elderly people to be alert to changes in the weather and practice healthy habits to protect the heart and prevent acute cardiovascular disease.
Lack of exercise, an unbalanced diet, obesity, smoking, chewing betel nuts and excessive drinking are risk factors that contribute to the “three highs”: high blood pressure, high blood lipids and high blood sugar, the HPA said.
People who have a high risk of cardiovascular disease should eat food with less salt and oil, and steam or boil food instead of deep frying it, the HPA said.
They should also exercise at moderate intensity for at least 150 minutes per week, keep warm, do warmup exercises and exercise with a friend or family member, it said.
They should not smoke and avoid secondhand smoke; get regular health checks to make sure their blood sugar, cholesterol and blood pressure are at healthy levels; maintain a healthy body weight and make use of government-funded health exams; and take prescription drugs for the “three highs” according to a doctor’s instructions, it said.
World Heart Day is organized by the World Heart Federation on Sept. 29 every year to inform people about cardiovascular disease, the leading cause of death and disability in the world, and to promote preventative measures.
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) today issued a sea warning for Typhoon Fung-wong effective from 5:30pm, while local governments canceled school and work for tomorrow. A land warning is expected to be issued tomorrow morning before it is expected to make landfall on Wednesday, the agency said. Taoyuan, and well as Yilan, Hualien and Penghu counties canceled work and school for tomorrow, as well as mountainous district of Taipei and New Taipei City. For updated information on closures, please visit the Directorate-General of Personnel Administration Web site. As of 5pm today, Fung-wong was about 490km south-southwest of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan's southernmost point.
Almost a quarter of volunteer soldiers who signed up from 2021 to last year have sought early discharge, the Legislative Yuan’s Budget Center said in a report. The report said that 12,884 of 52,674 people who volunteered in the period had sought an early exit from the military, returning NT$895.96 million (US$28.86 million) to the government. In 2021, there was a 105.34 percent rise in the volunteer recruitment rate, but the number has steadily declined since then, missing recruitment targets, the Chinese-language United Daily News said, citing the report. In 2021, only 521 volunteers dropped out of the military, the report said, citing
A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck Kaohsiung at 1pm today, the Central Weather Administration said. The epicenter was in Jiasian District (甲仙), 72.1km north-northeast of Kaohsiung City Hall, at a depth of 7.8km, agency data showed. There were no immediate reports of damage. The earthquake's intensity, which gauges the actual effects of a temblor, was highest in Kaohsiung and Tainan, where it measured a 4 on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale. It also measured a 3 in parts of Chiayi City, as well as Pingtung, Yunlin and Hualien counties, data showed.
Nearly 5 million people have signed up to receive the government’s NT$10,000 (US$322) universal cash handout since registration opened on Wednesday last week, with deposits expected to begin tomorrow, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday. After a staggered sign-up last week — based on the final digit of the applicant’s national ID or Alien Resident Certificate number — online registration is open to all eligible Taiwanese nationals, foreign permanent residents and spouses of Taiwanese nationals. Banks are expected to start issuing deposits from 6pm today, the ministry said. Those who completed registration by yesterday are expected to receive their NT$10,000 tomorrow, National Treasury
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