World Heart Day: More younger Indians now undergo coronary angiography than before, says study

The burden of coronary artery diseases in India is growing, Reliance General claims data indicates

The incidence of heart ailments in younger age groups has gone up between 2018 and 2023, an internal study conducted by private insurer Reliance General has found.

The study was based on claim trends related to Coronary Angiography (CAG) procedures that are used to diagnose and treat coronary artery diseases through angioplasty. Reliance General analyzed the claims and found a significant increase in the number of CAG procedures in the age groups of 19-35 years and 36-45 years over the five-year period.

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“The survey confirms that India is facing a serious challenge of cardiovascular defects like coronary artery disease…these trends indicate that coronary artery disease is affecting the young and productive population of India, which has implications for the social and economic development of the country,” a research note released to coincide with World Heart Day on September 29, said.

According to its internal claims data, the total number of CAG procedures in the age band of 19-35 years increased by 160.87 percent between 2018-2019 and 2022-2023. “Similarly, the total number of CAG procedures in the age band of 36-45 increased by 102.99 percent from 2018-2019 to 2022-2023,” the Reliance General Insurance study said.

According to the company, gender disparity was observed in CAG procedures, with the claims data indicating that males were more likely to undergo CAG procedures than females in both age bands. “In the age band of 19-35, males accounted for 73.91 percent of the total CAG procedures in 2018-2019 and 78.33 percent in 2022-2023,” the research note said.

The CAG claimants in the 36-45-year age group, too, were overwhelmingly male. In this case, male policyholders accounted for 67.16 percent of the total CAG procedures in 2018-2019. This figure rose sharply to 81.62 percent in 2022-2023.

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“The survey… is consistent with the findings of the recent World Health Organisation (WHO) report on the global burden of cardiovascular diseases, which holds the front position in leading global death by 68.1 percent (17.9 million approximately),” the research note said.

According to WHO, the Southeast Asia region is currently experiencing a "very high burden" of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are responsible for 3.9 million annual deaths, making up 30 percent of all deaths. “Alarmingly, almost half (48 percent) of these CVD-related deaths occurred prematurely, affecting individuals aged 30 to 70 years and imposing significant socioeconomic burdens on families, communities, and countries,” Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh, WHO Regional Director for South-East Asia, said in a statement.

The WHO report has identified “modifiable lifestyle factors” such as tobacco use, alcohol consumption, unhealthy diets especially high salt intake and lack of physical activity as the main causes of cardiovascular disease burden.