Recently a rising number of cardiovascular problems among the young population are being diagnosed and reported. While doctors & medical professionals are yet to find conclusive answers, there are several factors that could all together lead to the birth of a cardiac disorder in humans at a very young age.
Here, we throw some light on what could be the primary factors responsible for the condition of heart attack among young people, with an expert byte from Dr. Madhuri Nagori (Consultant Cardiologist, Bansal Hospital, Bhopal).
Table of contents:
- What is a heart attack?
- How common are heart attacks among Indians?
- What leads to heart attacks in youngsters?
- How do heart attacks in young people present differently from those in the elderly?
What is a heart attack?
A myocardial infarction (commonly called a heart attack), is an extremely dangerous condition caused by a lack of blood flow to your heart muscle. Various factors might be responsible for the blockage of your heart arteries, which might eventually obstruct the flow of blood to & from your heart.
There are various factors that might lead to the thickening of the blood, ranging from conditions of stress to conditions related to family history.
How common are heart attacks among Indians?
According to a report published by the Indian Heart Association, 50% of heart attacks in Indian men occur under the age of 50, while 25% of all heart attacks in Indian men occur under 40 years of age. The prevalence of cardiovascular diseases is high even among people who are slightly older than 45 years.
What leads to heart attacks in youngsters?
According to Dr. Madhuri Nagori, “the condition of heart attack was extremely common among the elderly, due to the adjoining health conditions that added to the atrocities. The common risk factors responsible were diabetes & hypertension among others.”
However, deviating from its routine pattern of targeting the older population, and those with pre-existing heart conditions, heart diseases have found a way to affect the younger population too.
There are again a number of factors that could be held responsible when it comes to the growing prevalence of heart attacks in the younger population.
These factors could be familial, that is an existing family history of heart attacks; the reason for heart attacks, especially in women could be the irregular use of oral contraceptives.
The presence of stress may be the other important factor. Regardless of age, stress is a frequent mental problem that can aggravate some ailments.
How do heart attacks in young people present differently from those in the elderly?
Young people are at greater risk of experiencing heart attacks than the old. This is because of thelack of early monitoring of symptoms related to heart conditions among the youth.
Dr. Madhuri believes that there are certain mutations of blood that might lead to its thickening, and could add up to the reason for heart attack.
The other factors could be anginal pain that the young do not experience, but the old do. The condition is then often diagnosed in an angiography report.
Nevertheless, according to Dr. Nagori, younger patients seem to benefit more from treatment. As a result, the success rate increases and the heart diseases among them are curable.
Conclusion:
Although there is no definitive age to experience a heart attack, the kind of lifestyle choices you make,your diet plans, your workout routines, and how you manage your stress levels can influence your probability.
According to Dr. Nagori, if a person could improve his lifestyle, it increases his longevity.
Changing one’s sedentary lifestyle, curbing excess sugar consumption, monitoring lipids, controlling fat consumption, and stopping or controlling drinking habits, can minimize your chances of cardiovascular diseases.