Sudden heart attacks: Could you be next?

Young & Restless

There is a rapid shift in the onset of severe heart disease, as Dr Ratti Dilip Kumar, Consultant Cardiovascular surgeon, Mani-pal Hospital, Vijayawada, ex-plains: “In recent years, Manipal Hospital, Vijayawada, has seen a significant rise in the number of younger patients being diagnosed with heart conditions, particularly those requiring bypass surgery. Once considered a disease affecting older adults, coronary artery disease is now appearing more frequently in individuals under 45, and the recent case I attended to was a patient who is just 32 years old undergoing bypass surgery.” He adds, “As per my observation, around 10-15 per cent of bypass surgeries are now being performed on patients between 30 and 45 years of age. A few years ago, this percentage was much lower, around 1 to 2%.”

Deadly Cocktail

Tight deadlines, 24X7 lives and workplace stress are putting corporateville at maximum risk. Talking about the prevalence of this, Dr Maulik Parekh, Head TAVR and Structural Heart Programme, Section coordinator Cardiac Sciences, Sir HN Reliance Foundation Hospital, Mumbai, states, “We are seeing heart attacks and heart issues coming up more frequently in the younger population as compared to what we used to see, let’s say, seven or 10 years earlier. Multiple factors are seen together, leading to it such as obesity, diabetes and high blood pressure which can lead to heart attacks. So, this is a basically conundrum or a combination of problems that often come together. What adds to this is the lack of activity or complete sedentary lifestyle that many of the youngsters today have because of their desk jobs. Corporates who travel extensively as part of their job, live between very odd schedules. They are stressed, they don’t sleep well, and don’t exercise.”

Latent Silent Triggers

The devil is in the diet when it comes to this. Dr. Anoop Agrawal, Senior Interventional Cardiologist, Clinical Director — Structural Heart Disease CARE Hospitals. Parekh underlines how obesity — especially when linked to sedentary lifestyles and unhealthy diets — is a significant yet often silent trigger, particularly for heart disease. He explains. “As excess body fat accumulates, the heart is forced to work harder, increasing the risk of hypertension, heart failure, and other cardiovascular issues. Obesity disrupts the balance of cholesterol in the body, raising harmful LDL cholesterol and reducing protective HDL cholesterol. This imbalance promotes plaque buildup in the arteries, leading to conditions such as atherosclerosis. Additionally, obesity is a major risk factor for Type 2 diabetes, which further damages blood vessels and the nerves controlling the heart. Chronic inflammation caused by excess fat, especially visceral fat, adds to the risk, making arteries more susceptible to damage and disease.” Thus, early detection matters. Cautions Dr Ratti Dilip, “The most common cause identified in younger patients is uncontrolled blood sugar, often linked to undiagnosed diabetes. Many of these individuals who I attend are unaware they have diabetes until they suffer a heart attack, after which tests reveal high blood sugar levels. This late diagnosis makes managing their condition more difficult and increases the likelihood of heart issues.”

Lifestyle Changes

Several lifestyle changes can prevent heart attacks. Dr. Maulik Parekh, shares a few of them: