According to a report by the World Health Organisation, India is responsible for one-fifth of global cardiovascular disease-related deaths. In addition, Indian youth are more vulnerable to heart diseases compared to their peers worldwide.
Research shows that Indians are more likely to suffer from cardiovascular disease, over a decade earlier than their Western counterparts.
As our country has the largest young population in the world, with over 40% of the population between 15 and 40 years, this is a serious concern from a public health perspective.
Heart disease in the young comprises a variety of conditions like cardiomyopathies, congenital heart disease, arrhythmias, heart failure, myocarditis, coronary artery disease, etc.
However, when we talk about the recent scenario of increasing incidence of heart disease in young people, we are talking about Coronary artery disease (CAD), which includes heart attacks. Though a heart attack is generally considered a disease of the elderly, its incidence in young individuals is unfortunately on the rise. The reasons behind this are multifactorial.
A heart attack is a condition in which any of the arteries (blood vessels) suddenly get partially or completely occluded with a thrombus. The reason behind it is a chronic process of lipid deposition in vessel walls called atherosclerosis.
Atherosclerosis can begin even in the first decade of life, but events like heart attack conventionally occur beyond 45 years in men and 55 years in women. On average, heart attacks occur in Indians about 10 years earlier than in their Western counterparts.
Acute coronary syndromes or heart attacks are on the rise in younger individuals, particularly in our country.
The studies of the Asian-Indian migrant population have revealed a probable racial predisposition for premature CAD. However, the majority of the risk can still be attributed to increased incidence of conventional CAD risk factors in the youth, such as obesity, inactivity, diabetes, hypertension, and dyslipidemia.
Also, various data show that family history of heart disease is a major risk factor in Indians for premature CAD when compared to other populations.
Smoking and substance abuse are also resulting in more heart disease in young people.
Lesser-discussed unconventional risk factors like mental stress, lack of healthy employment practices, environmental pollution, and lack of proper food safety regulations are, in fact, contributing a lot to this silent epidemic.
Covid infection as well as vaccination were widely attributed as a cause of young heart attacks, but without adequate scientific evidence.
Possible ways in which we can improve the situation
Creating awareness: The most important step towards prevention is creating awareness. Awareness regarding heart disease risk factors, healthy life choices, early symptoms of heart attack, and the need for seeking timely medical attention is crucial.
Diet and Physical activity: With rapid urbanisation and industrialisation, a nutritional transfer is occurring in India. An increase in refined sugars, fats, and processed foods sets the stage for premature heart disease. Efforts to increase physical activity to atleast 30mins of moderate activity per day for five days a week need to be promoted.
Programmes targeting the prevention of early development of lifestyle diseases like diabetes, hypertension, and dyslipidemia need to be extended to younger individuals.
Improving access to medical services across the social strata can improve prevention, early detection, treatment, and reduction in morbidity and mortality from heart diseases.
Political will: Efforts to curb pollution, better work culture, and strong legislation for food safety will go a long way in not only preventing young heart disease but also promoting the overall health of the population.
Preventive health checkup: At an individual level, we can strive to promote healthy habits, and at the same time, getting a proper health checkup can contribute significantly towards early detection of risk factors of heart disease as well as early detection of the condition itself.
Improving mental health: there should be more discussions and interventions on overall mental health, work-life balance, and happiness, as these are found to impact heart health.