Doctor Explains: Why so many young Indians are facing heart attacks?

After the sudden, untimely, and unfortunate demise of Mandira Bedi’s husband and then followed by the death of late actor Siddharth Shukla due to a heart attack and now actor Puneeth Rajkumar’s sudden demise has raised a lot of questions in minds of people as to why young Indians are facing heart attack? These incidents have left fear in the minds of people regarding the uncertainty of life. Heart attack and other cardiovascular disorders have been a major issue but recently the numbers have risen alarmingly. Doctors have dug into the problem of why young Indians are facing heart attacks and found some reasons that could cause a heart attack. 

What is a heart attack? What are the symptoms?

Heart attack is a sudden occurrence of coronary thrombosis, typically resulting in the death of part of a heart muscle and sometimes fatal. A heart attack usually occurs when a blood clot blocks blood flow to the heart. Some common symptoms of heart attack are: 

• Cold sweat
• Breathless
• Nausea, heartburn,  abdominal pain
• Aching sensation in chest or arms

In an interview with India Today, Dr. Ambuj Roy, professor of cardiology of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi, explained in detail the main reasons behind the rise in heart attack and cardiac arrest cases in the younger generation. He explained how physical health, mental health, and lifestyle contribute to heart-related factors. 

When asked, ‘why people who maintained a healthy lifestyle also suffered from a heart attack?’ Dr. Roy said that stress is driving people to consume alcohol and smoke cigarettes. Even though exercises can help to some extent, drinking and smoking do have their repercussions. 

When asked about, ‘how much role does genetics and family history play in deaths due to heart attack?’ Dr. Roy answered by saying that, as Asians, we are more likely to suffer from heart attack and it is due to genetics. No matter what we do, we can’t help it. Perhaps, that’s why young people in our country face more heart attacks.

Another question that popped up was, ‘how does our mental health affect our physical health?’ Dr. Roy said, due to the work schedule and our stressful lifestyle, our mental health gets sidelined. The professional and personal pressure to perfectly balance things does more harm than good. This can be one of the causes of why young Indians are facing heart attacks.

In our daily busy lives, we forget to take care of our hearts. Here are some ways to take care of your heart. 

• Control your blood pressure – High blood pressure could be the main cause of a heart attack, therefore it is important to keep blood pressure in check. 
• Eat healthy – Try to consume as many fruits and vegetables and cut down on junk food. 
• Exercise well – Physical workouts can keep you healthy and reduce the risk of a heart attack. 
• Get enough sleep – It is important to sleep well. Less sleep can cause weight gain which is linked to cardiovascular disorders. 

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