Heart choices not hard choices: Lifestyle taking a toll on youngsters, say experts
Bengaluru: People in the age group of 25-30 are increasingly facing heart health issues at an alarming rate. This is mainly because of the lifestyle adopted by them. Heart specialists assert that heart ailments or cardiovascular diseases are growing drastically in the city and are no longer restricted to the older population. The age of the risk group has come down to 35-45 with increasing incidents among 25-30year age group as well.
“Last week, our doctors treated a 21-one-year-old man, who had suffered a heart attack, which is shocking. Of late, there have been increasing incidents of young population going through angioplasty and other heart surgeries,” said Dr Anand Subramanyam, Consultant, Cardio Vascular and Thoracic Surgeon, BGS Global Hospitals.
“Heart diseases are growing dramatically and the age group is falling drastically because of the lifestyle patterns of the patients. This is quite unusual in the West," said Dr Robbie George, senior consultant, vascular and endovascular surgery, Narayana Health City. Dr George said that Narayana Health City performs around 500-600 open heart surgeries and larger number of heart interventions every month which is a cause for concern.
“In the West, it is just cigarette smokers, but in India there are tobacco and beedi consumers as well, which is also a contributing factor,” he said.
It is believed that by 2030, India will account for nearly 60% of all the world’s cardiac patients. “Heart diseases account for over 80% of deaths in India. Almost 50% of these deaths are because of lack of care within the first hour of cardiac emergency. Deaths can be avoided with appropriate awareness and timely care,” explained Dr Keshav R., Consultant
Interventional Cardiologist, Fortis Hospitals.
Doctors said that hypertension, high cholesterol, physical inactivity and a sedentary lifestyle are modifiable factors, while non-modifiable factors are stroke and ageing. The risk of stroke doubles every decade after age 55.
