CONRAD DIAS
Ranchi, Aug 25: Heart diseases occur in Indians at a very earlier age than in any other demographics, many times without warning, according to the Indian Heart Association.
Studies have found that Indians suffer from heart-related diseases at least 10 years prior to people in the West. The primary reasons are sedentary lifestyles, diabetes, increasing consumption of alcohol, smoking and hypertension.
Dr Vineet Mahajan, HOD of the cardiothoracic vascular surgery department (CTVS) at RIMS Ranchi said that death due to heart attacks in young gym freaks has become quite common and it is a serious issue that should be resolved at an early stage. He said that in Ranchi itself there have been cases of gym deaths due to heart attacks but it never gets the limelight because they were not famous personalities.
“Indians are three times more prone to heart diseases as compared to people from European or American countries. The genetic reason is also one of the reasons as heart vessel size in Indians and south-east Asians are around 0.5 to 1mm in size as compared to Americans which is 2mm. Apart from that lifestyle change has also been one of the main reasons for it,” the HOD said.
He added that around 15 to 20 years back heart-attack was not a common problem but now as people have become addicted to smoking, drinking and junk foods, the risk and number of cases have gone up drastically.
“There was a time when a son used to bring his dad to the doctor and complain about heart disease. Now it has become the other way round. It is mainly because the work culture in India has changed dramatically and people have become competent. People working in corporates have deadlines to meet and that leads to a lot of stress,” he added.
Covid-19 has also resulted in many heart attacks. Many cases were reported in the past two years where a patient suffered a stroke as soon as he recovered from Covid-19.
A study published in The Lancet journal shows that the risk of heart attack and stroke increases three-fold in the first two weeks following Covid-19.
Dr Mahajan recommended that people after the age of 40 should do a mandatory screening of their hearts in order to detect the functioning and only then should join a gym or other high-level workouts to stay fit.
“Majority of people nowadays are unaware whether they have heart issues or not. People have become lazy nowadays with an unhealthy lifestyle. Just in order to look fit and muscular, they join the gym without knowing whether their hearts are properly functioning or not. Everyone after the age of 40 should do proper screening of their heart every five to six months and then according to the reports carry their workout,” the doctor recommended.
He added that habits such as smoking and drinking should not be an addiction and people should try to quit them. People should also adopt healthier eating habits instead of junk foods.
