BENGALURU: To address growing public concern over sudden deaths among young people, the state government has made postmortems mandatory in all cases of sudden, unexplained deaths occurring outside hospitals among individuals below the age of 45.
These deaths, Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao said, will now be treated as “notifiable events” and must be officially recorded and medically examined to rule out unknown causes. A government order will soon be issued, he told TNIE.
The decision follows the findings of a government-commissioned pilot study that investigated the rise in cardiac deaths among younger adults post-Covid.
The study, led by Dr KS Ravindranath, Director, Sri Jayadeva Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences and Research, concluded that while there has been a 4–5% increase in heart attack cases among those under 45, the causes are linked to excessive steroids, lifestyle factors — including obesity, smoking, consumption of tobacco, diabetes and sedentary habits — and not due to Covid vaccines or the infection itself.
The expert committee was constituted in February following public anxiety and speculation over rising cases of sudden cardiac deaths among healthy young individuals, especially post-Covid. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had ordered the study, seeking clarity on whether vaccines or long Covid effects were contributing factors.
Govt to initiate cardiac screening for school students from Class 10
The health minister told the media on Monday, “There has been an increase in heart attack cases post-Covid — about 4-5% — but those are due to multiple lifestyle-related factors. The study has found no evidence to link these deaths with the vaccine or Covid infection.”
He said, “To act on the findings, the state will roll out a series of preventive measures. Apart from mandatory autopsies, the government will initiate cardiac screening for school students from Class 10 onwards, annual health check-ups for all government employees and recommend similar screenings in private offices, industries and institutions. Lifestyle education modules will also be introduced in school curricula to promote awareness on physical activity, screen time and healthy eating habits.”
The health department also plans to expand CPR training across the state and deploy automated external defibrillators (AEDs) in public spaces, he added.
Meanwhile, Jayadeva Institute is conducting a larger, longitudinal study involving 4,500 patients, as part of an ongoing investigation into premature coronary artery disease, which will further assess pandemic-linked trends over time. Data from that effort will be submitted to national bodies like ICMR.
Dr Ravindranath confirmed that the committee investigating a spike in cardiac deaths in Hassan district -- 40 deaths in 46 days -- will submit its report on July 10. The report will capture whether individuals experienced chest pain, had underlying conditions, and if deaths occurred at home or en route to hospital.