A number of celebrity deaths due to cardiac arrests in the last few months have put the spotlight back on heart issues in younger people. Cardiac arrests in young adults have been on the rise over the past decade, according to cardiologists.
“Heart disease was considered to be an old-age disease, but now it is very common in young adults. One in five heart attacks today happen in the under-40 age group. In some cases even youth between 20-30 years of age have cardiac issues,” said Dr. Anupam Goel, Director - Interventional Cardiology, Max Super Speciality Hospital, Saket.
Goel said the high incidence of heart attacks among the youth can be attributed to high blood pressure, smoking, and a sedentary lifestyle.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), nearly 17.9 million people died from cardiovascular diseases in India in 2016, representing 31 percent of all global deaths. “Of these, 85 percent were due to heart attack and stroke,” WHO said.
World Heart Day is observed every year on September 29.
Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are a group of disorders of the heart and blood vessels which include coronary heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, peripheral arterial disease, rheumatic heart disease, congenital heart disease, deep vein thrombosis, and pulmonary embolism.
Heart attacks rising in the younger age group
According to data on Accidental Deaths & Suicides in India (ADSI) compiled by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), nearly 70 percent of heart attack deaths in the country occurred in the 30-60 age group.
As per the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study (2018) supported by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), heart diseases contributed to 28.1 percent of the total deaths in India in 2016, compared with 15.2 percent in 1990.
According to the union government’s reply in the Lok Sabha, Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) are estimated to account for 63 percent of all deaths in India, of which cardiovascular diseases lead with 27 percent mortality.
Tobacco addiction, a sedentary lifestyle the leading causes
Doctors have said that the population in the age group of 45 to 60 years were most prone to deaths due to heart attack, followed by those aged 30 to 45 years.
Among the risk factors, the doctors say that a sedentary lifestyle is the major issue for heart ailments in the younger population.
“A large proportion of cardiovascular diseases can be prevented and to an extent be treated, simply by adopting a good lifestyle. It includes stopping all kinds of addiction, especially tobacco, whether chewing, snorting or smoking. Smoking is one of the largest causes of heart disease in India and worldwide,” said Dr. Vivek Chaturvedi, Professor & HOD, Cardiology, Amrita Hospital, Faridabad.
The other risk factors for heart disease — high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, and obesity — are all linked to bad lifestyle choices, which is becoming increasingly common among the youth of India.
Asked why people with normal cholesterol levels are developing cardiac problems, Dr Chaturvedi said that heart ailments are multifactorial.
“Cholesterol is just one risk factor, there could be other factors like high blood pressure, increased weight, or a family history of cardiac problems,” he added.
Strenuous exercise can be dangerous
The doctors said that strenuous workout for prolonged durations could impact the heart adversely.
“While moderate intensity exercise is good for the heart, over-strenuous activity can impact heart health adversely as it can lead to a dilated heart — the heart starts to dilate and its valves become thick and adverse remodelling occurs. It can also lead to plaque rupture, and spontaneous coronary artery dissections,” said Dr. Vishal Rastogi, Director, Interventional Cardiology, Fortis Escorts Heart Institute, Delhi.
Dr. Manish Bansal, Director, Clinical and Preventive Cardiology, Heart Institute, Medanta Hospital, Gurugram, said extreme exercise is not good for the body.
“When people engage in extreme exercise it causes an increase in blood circulation. This circulation means that the heart has to work harder. In people who have an underlying heart condition (but do not know of it and therefore are not receiving treatment) and do not have proper nutrition, this can prove to be fatal,” he added.
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