The increasing number of deaths due to heart attack among youngsters has become a matter of grave concern. And Wednesday’s case of a young surgeon from Gandhi Hospital dying of heart attack has shocked the State’s medical fraternity.
But, doctors are yet to find out the real reasons behind this growing incidence. One of the top cardiologists from Hyderabad underscored that the causes leading to heart attack among the younger population are not yet known.
According to senior cardiologist from KIMS Dr. B. Hygriv Rao, there is a need for research into what is leading to heart attack among the youth. The profile of heart attack patients in India is different from other countries.
Dr. Hygriv Rao and his team have conducted a study in 18 health centres across the country on patients who suffered heart attacks. The abstract of the study, conducted in 2018-19, was accepted by the American College of Cardiology in 2020.
This study found that 25% of heart attacks were among people below 40 years. Stating that the finding is not something new, he said, “The reasons why heart attacks occur among youngsters are not completely known because of lack of published data on this. Heart attacks are major causes of sudden deaths,” he said.
He has listed some risk factors for heart attack such as smoking, hypertension, obesity and lack of exercise. The senior cardiologist also said that stress levels among people cutting across age groups and its role behind heart attacks need to be studied extensively.
Annual health check-ups after 30, regardless of whether one experiences any symptoms of heart attack, was suggested to avoid unpleasant situations. People who have diabetes, suffer from hypertension, and smokers, were asked not to ignore the first signs.
