Early diagnosis and lifestyle changes can beat the heart diseases
These days, we often wake up to the devastating news of young people falling victim to cardiac arrests. S. Aravind, Cardiologist, Apollo Specialty Hospitals, Vanagaram, says that t there is a rise in cardiac diseases in 30 to 40-year-olds, and it is a matter of concern.
“Gone are the days when cardiac issues affected only the senior and old population. We get many patients with cardiac problems in the young age group,” says Dr. Aravind. He adds that high-stress level jobs for a prolonged period, sleeplessness, consumption of junk and unhealthy food, and lack of physical activity are significant causes of myocardial infractions in youngsters.
Elaborating on the reasons behind cardiac arrests, Dr. Aravind says, “There are conventional and unconventional causes. While conventional causes include diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and family history, unconventional causes are mainly lifestyle and diet-related.”
Dr. Aravind observes that a burgeoning number of restaurants and bakeries have come up in the last few decades. “Children start taking outside food and bakery items from a very young age, and the habit keeps growing. Though they may be active in schools or colleges in sports, when they enter their 30s, their priorities shift, and their lifestyle becomes sedentary. This is one of the major causes for the high incidence of cardiac cases in the 30s,” he says, adding, “Also, a family history of cardiac diseases can manifest in a youngster at least 15 years in advance.”
In many youngsters, though arteriosclerosis should have started early, it goes unnoticed. “Since there is no collateral damage, there are precipitants of a high thrombotic stage in youngsters. During and after the COVID-19 pandemic, we saw a lot of youngsters with cardiac arrest and brain strokes. The viral infection precipitated it among the people who were prone to get a cardiac arrest,” says Dr. Aravind.
The eminent cardiologist says that just like smoking, emissions also can damage the heart. “People who travel long on two-wheelers are often exposed to prolonged inhalation of emissions. The pollutants get deployed in their respiratory and intestinal tracts causing trouble,” he says.
Talking about the high incidence of fatality among youth due to cardiac diseases, Dr. Aravind, says, “In youngsters when a clot occurs in the blood vessel, it arrests the cardiac function. In older patients, there is something called ischemic pre-conditioning happening due to age and associated factors; hence, they respond better.”
While ECG, echo, and treadmill tests are used to diagnose cardiac issues, Dr. Aravind recommends checking the cholesterol levels from 30 onwards annually. Most patients with heart disease at a younger age will have to make lifestyle modifications and continue treatment, throughout their life.”
Emphasizing that a healthy diet, a minimum of 30 minutes of physical activity, and good sleep can keep the heart healthy, Dr. Aravind says that awareness, preventive care, and access to medical treatment can reduce the growing cases of heart diseases among youngsters.
