From teenagers to men and women in their 20s, 30s, and 40s — many are falling prey to heart attacks at alarming levels. With dozens of people in these age groups suffering cardiac arrests, which mostly ended in deaths, the world is waking up to a new reality that the young aren’t young anymore. While doctors across the globe sound a warning after each such untimely death, the news of some young person dying of a heart attack has become a regular affair. There has been a sharp rise in cases of heart attacks during winter.
The Risk Factor
“Heart attack among the young is a major killer across the world in general and India in particular. We as Indians tend to develop heart disease 10 years earlier than the Western population,” says Dr Rajeev Menon, senior cardiologist at the Asian Institute of Gastroenterology (AIG). Elaborating further, Dr Menon says our heart vessels are smaller and the disease we develop is more severe than that in Caucasians. “We also have the dubious distinction of being the diabetes capital of the world driven by the epidemic of obesity,” he points out. In this dangerously fertile milieu, says Dr Menon, we have added up the deadly quartet of stress, unhealthy food habits, lack of exercise, and smoking. This has led to the rise in the incidence of heart disease in young.
Spot The Signs
Few decades ago, the percentage of heart attacks doctors encountered in less than 45 years was less than 10% compared to today when that percentage stands at a staggering 40%,” informs Dr Menon. He adds that Covid has also led to an increase in heart attacks among the young because it tends to form clots in every vessel of the body. “Many have doubts about the risk from COVID vaccines. Multiple studies have shown that the benefits of the vaccine far outweigh the minimal risks it entails. Since the damage to the heart is already done once a person has a heart attack, preventing it is of paramount importance,” Dr Menon says.
Smoking cessation, eating a healthy diet, exercising at least 30 minutes daily or 10,000 steps, and handling stress are essential. “However, one of the major killers which go unrecognised is sugar. Sugar causes cholesterol deposition, obesity, and inflammation which causes the deposits in heart vessels to rupture like a volcano and produce sudden heart attacks and death,” warns Dr Menon. If we reduce or completely stop eating sugar, it can reverse this epidemic of obesity, diabetes, and heart attacks in young, says the senior cardiologist.
Find Solutions
Recently, Dr Balbir Singh, Chairman and Head, Cardiology of Max Hospitals mentioned that people have to accept the truth that heart ailments are increasing in our country. “We have to find solutions rather than shying away and saying it’s a misnomer or somebody’s creating this story. We see so many younger patients, who have all kinds of heart diseases,” Dr Singh said. He even pointed out how winter is a big stress for the heart. “The heart is one of the major organs that suffers during winter. We can see a spike happening. In our hospital every day on average, we get about two heart attacks (patients) who come. Last month, there were 40 total heart attack (patients) that we treated,” he said. There are ways to prevent it. However, no age group is immune to it.
Early Check-ups
“We all know heart attacks are increasing in younger patients. It’s time people start checking their blood pressure, sugars, and weight from their 20s,” advises Dr Gopalakrishna Gokhale, senior cardiologist at Apollo Hospitals. Earlier, doctors prescribed heart check-ups for people older than 45-50. “Now, regular heart check ups have to start from the 30s itself,” says Dr Gokhale.
Dr Gokhale, who has been getting a steady stream of young people with heart issues, suggests there is an urgent need to watch how many times people are eating junk food. “My personal feeling is the food we eat, both quantity and quality, the stress and lack of adequate exercise and even overdoing exercises are the areas we have to work on,” Dr Gokhale says.
Today, many people are either busy with work or on their cell phone, leaving no family time.
Throwing light on why heart attacks happen more in winter, Dr Gokhale explains, “One reason is that blood vessels tend to become narrower due to the cold weather to maintain body temperature. This can decrease the blood flow in vessels which are already narrowed.”
Heartbreaking News
Feb 2023: Police Constable Vishal YB (24) died after a heart attack while working out in a gym in Hyderabad
Mar 2023: Mutyam (19) died of a heart attack while dancing at a relative’s wedding in Nirmal district.
Shyam Yadav (38) died after suffering a cardiac arrest while playing badminton in Lalapet
Apr 2023: B Sravanti (13) died of a heart attack in Mahabubabad
Jul 2023: Sridhar (31) died of a heart attack in a gym in Khammam district
Aug 2023: M Rajesh (14) died after a heart attack in school in Khammam town
Nov 2023: AI pilot Captain Himanil Kumar (37) succumbed to a sudden cardiac arrest in Gurgaon
Dec 2023: Srushti (13) died of a heart attack while walking to school in Karnataka
Heart attack among the young is a major killer across the world in general and India in particular. Indians tend to develop heart disease 10 years earlier than the Western population.” — Dr Rajeev Menon, senior cardiologist at AIG, Gachibowli
It’s time people start checking their blood pressure, sugars and weight from their 20s. My personal feeling is the food we eat, both quantity and quality, the stress and lack of adequate exercise and even overdoing exercises are the areas we have to work on.” Dr Gopalakrishna Gokhale, senior cardiologist, Apollo Hospitals
“One of the major killers which go unrecognised is sugar. Sugar causes cholesterol deposition, obesity, and inflammation which causes the deposits in heart vessels to rupture like a volcano and produce sudden heart attacks and death.” — Dr menon
