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LOCAL CARDIOLOGIST GIVES ADVICE FOR HEART HEALTH

By Erin France/OF THE COMMERCIAL STAFF
Monday, March 16, 2009 9:56 AM CDT

Cardiovascular disease remains a health problem in Southeast Arkansas, said Dr. Abdul Ezeldin, an interventional cardiologist at Jefferson Regional Medical Center.

Cardiologist Dr. Abdul Ezeldin explains heart health while showing off a plastic example of the circulatory organ. Pine Bluff Commercial/Ralph Fitzgerald

Statistically speaking, this state ranks high nationally for heart-related deaths.

Ezeldin said there are plenty of things Arkansans can do to prevent heart disease such as quitting smoking, exercising regularly and watching their food intake.

“A lot of work needs to be done in this arena,” Ezeldin said. “Probably this is culture.”

Including the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, Arkansas ranks 46th for Cardiovascular Disease deaths, 46th for Coronary Heart Disease deaths and 52nd — last — for stroke deaths, according to 2004 statistics compiled and released by the American Heart Association.

An ounce of prevention

Know your BMI, Ezeldin said.

That’s short for Body Mass Index, a ratio of weight to surface area.

“The higher their Body Mass Index, the higher the chances of cardiovascular disease,” he said.

Other food-related trends, according to information supported by the American Heart Association, can increase waist lines and the danger signs for heart disease.

“We are addicted to fast food,” Ezeldin said. pointing out that there’s more food on the plate with less daily exercise for many Arkansans.

Physical inactivity affects women more than men, according to association statistics. There are an estimated 35.4 million obese women to 26.6 million obese men.

All that extra weight carries with it health care costs — an estimated $100 billion in obesity-related diseases — and personal losses — with poor diet and physical inactivity ranking as the second highest cause of preventable deaths at an estimated 400,000 deaths in 2000.

Knowing one’s blood pressure is a great way to stay on top of health issues, Ezeldin said.

All fire stations within the Pine Bluff city limits offer free blood-pressure checks, said Kahdijah Miller, Pine Bluff Fire and Emergency Services fire and life safety educator.

“It was another service we could offer to the community free of charge,” she said.

Miller encouraged residents to pick up a blood-pressure card and record data from several screenings.

“If you come by the station and get your blood pressure checked during the day, we’ll be able to help you out,” she said. “Then we won’t receive those calls ... after everybody’s gone to bed.”

Ezeldin said such programs can be easily utilized to monitor health.

“I believe in preventative medicine,” Ezeldin said. “It’s better than dealing with the consequences.”

A pound of cure

Ezeldin uses a catheter to explore the human heart.

A catheter, he explained, is a small, narrow plastic tube that goes through the arterial system. From that point, dyes can be added to better illuminate the inner clockwork of a patient’s heart.

When a problem is found, many patients want to know how to slow or reverse the disease, he said.

“The process cannot be reversed completely, but it can be slowed,” he said.

Sometimes the toughest medicine can be the best advice.

“A lot of patients do not like the advice to quit smoking,” Ezeldin said.

There’s also a need to continue taking prescriptions, he added.

“Sometimes my patients are not religious or meticulous about taking their medications.”

A head for the heart

Ezeldin has more letters behind his name than many have in their name.

He has a wall of accolades and can list half a dozen certifications by American boards and another by the board of cardiovascular computed tomography.

“I’m 41 years old, and I’m still trying for more,” Ezeldin said with a smile.

Ezeldin joined Jefferson Regional Medical Center and Cardiology Associates in 2007.

“He complements our current cardiology staff,” said Sharon Theriot, a physician recruiter for the hospital. “He’s really enthusiastic about assisting JRMC.”

Ben Nail, the hospital’s manager of cardiovascular services, also noted Ezeldin’s evident excitement for his career.

“He’s a very enthusiastic guy,” he said. “It was nice to get him here.”

Born in Syria, Ezeldin said he first came to Arkansas in 2002 after finishing degrees at the University of Pennsylvania at Philadelphia and Yale University.

“It was quite a culture shock in the beginning,” he said. Although, he added that he and his wife — who live in Little Rock with their three children — are happier with the South’s mild winters.

Ezeldin said he knew his vocation early in life, an interest that began at home.

“Since I was a child, I always wanted to be a cardiologist,” he said. “My father had a heart disease.”

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