If you are in your 20’s or 30’s and you like to eat lots of fast food, have a very poor lifestyle and are carefree that you are too young to get any heart-related issues, then it’s about time when you should change your opinion. It’s a myth that heart disease is something that only happens to older people. Research shows that heart disease is increasing among young people. People in the age group of 29 and 50 mostly have no idea that heart disease is even a possibility.
This is a myth, which needs to be broken. A study has found that 900 Indians below the age of 30 are dying of heart attacks every day. That’s not all.According to analysis of more than 3.5 lakh heart patients in the country by the National Intervention Council, one in every 10 heart surgeries in 2015 was carried out on people below the age of 40. Most of these heart attacks occur due to coronary artery disease as a result of blockage or obstruction of the coronary artery, while 20 per cent of them occur due to less common causes such as structural abnormalities of the coronary arteries, spasm of the coronaries, chest trauma, drug abuse or clotting.
The highest population of cases of myocardial infarction in young adults is in middle-east (12.6 per cent) followed by Africa (10.9 per cent) and South Asia (9.7 per cent). The deaths due to myocardial infarction also occur 5-10 years earlier than in western population.
It is estimated that these numbers are increasing rapidly. Populations living in cities are three times more prone to heart attacks then people living in villages. Stress at workplace and home also adds up. Lesser physical activity, junk food, smoking, obesity are some key factors. As people get heavier, they experience the hormonal and inflammatory effects of obesity, and the risk factors for heart disease rise. There is also an increased risk of arrhythmia or sudden death from heart disease, which often goes unrecognised.
The risk of heart disease in men is more as compared to women. That is why it is important to identify and reduce cardiovascular risk factors early.
In India, there is an alarming increase in factors— Diabetes, hypertension, abnormal lipids (cholesterol), smoking, central obesity and lack of physical activity—that can lead to heart disease.
Though exercise and intake of healthy foods like fruits and vegetables can make a huge difference, it is rarely observed. The message is loud and clear that young India needs to wake up and follow a balanced lifestyle. Your health is in your hands. Apart from leading a healthy life, you should go for yearly check-ups to avoid any untoward situation.
The writer is a pathologist and co-founder of Lifeline Laboratory, Delhi