Every year on 29th September, the world observes World Heart Day, which was established by the World Heart Federation with the specific goal of uniting world leaders in the fight against Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) and reducing the global disease burden, which is responsible for nearly half of all Non-Communicable Disease (NCD) deaths.

World Heart Federation was formed in the year 1972, working in the direction of spreading awareness about the risk factors of CVD , other heart diseases and stroke now even after 49 years it continuous to report that CVD is the leading cause of death, remaining a challenge for the world.

Cardiovascular disease kills 4 million individuals in South-East Asia each year, accounting for roughly one-third of all deaths. Aside from high blood pressure and an unhealthy diet, air pollution is a major risk factor for CVD in the region, accounting for almost 17 per cent of all deaths and 28 per cent of CVD-related deaths.

According to the Global Burden of Disease, CVDs account for over a quarter (24.8 per cent) of all fatalities in India.

The Case fatality owing to CVD appears to be substantially greater in low-income countries, including India, than in medium and high-income countries. In India, if the average age at which people get their first myocardial infarction is 53 years, then it is nearly ten years younger than in developed countries. Deaths from heart-related disease among rural Indians have surpassed those among urban Indians, according to a forthcoming study in The Lancet.

According to a study by Lancet, Prevalent cases of cardiovascular diseases increased in India from 25·7 million in 1990 to 54·5 million in 2016. The prevalence of cardiovascular diseases in 2016 was highest in Kerala, Punjab, and Tamil Nadu (which are in the high ETL state group), followed by Andhra Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Maharashtra, Goa and West Bengal (which are in the high and higher-middle ETL epidemiological transition level) state groups.

Nowadays, cases of heart attacks have become prevalent among the young population and the talks related to it has been doing rounds after some of the popular celebrities died due to heart attack in a very young age. Despite the fact that the celebrities do follow a proper diet and fitness norms but are gripped by heart related illnesses, leading to untimely heart attacks.

According to the most recent research, young Indians are at a higher risk of heart disease compared to the Western population a decade earlier. This indicates that the prevalence of cardiovascular diseases (CVDS) is increasing in those under the age of 30.

Speaking to BW Healthcareworld, Dr T S Kler, Chairman, Cardiac Sciences, Fortis Memorial Research Institute put light on the probable reason to such deaths, “Increasing stress level is another common cause. Nowadays, especially during the pandemic, stress levels have increased significantly, with most people working from home with limited physical activities.”

Adding to his statement, he further said, “Looking fit doesn’t always mean that you are healthy. Even in young adults, some of the other triggering factors include high blood pressure, smoking, family history, diabetes, and poor cholesterol levels account for the majority of heart attacks. Therefore it is important that you go for regular heart health check-ups. Also, one needs to bear in mind that not all exercises are suitable for everyone. If a person has already been diagnosed with any cardiac issues, they must consult their cardiologist to understand how much and what kind of physical activity is right for them.”

It is very commonly known that excessive alcohol consumption, smoking and unhealthy diet  have major contribution in causing heart failure, but at the same time there have been cases where people who do not posses such habits also get strike down. Addressing this concern, Dr Kler said, “some of the factors responsible for the increasing number of heart attacks is a condition called hypercholesterolemia, which is high cholesterol since birth. In most cases, it remains undiagnosed for years. Increased stress level is another common cause which is common during the pandemic. A genetic condition, a birth defect can also be some reasons for heart-related illness. It is advisable to continue with regular health check-ups irrespective of whether one has an existing cardiac health condition or no for the benefit of early diagnosis.”

Dr Zainulabedin Hamdulay, Director & Chairman, Masina Heart Institute and Chief Consultant for Cardiovascular Thoracic Surgery spoke about the issue and advised, “Heart failure is a progressive illness, which is caused due to the irregular pumping action of the heart muscle due to it getting weaker and stiff over a period of time, thus making the heart unable to pump and circulate oxygenated and nutritional blood to the vital parts of the body.”

The leading causes of heart attacks has now a new member joining the list and that is Coronavirus. With the rise in the cases of COVID, mostly during the second wave, there were number of cases of heart attacks were being reported, after patients were recovering from it. Talking of a study, Dr TS Kler said Covid-19 patients have increased level of Troponin, a protein that is specific to muscle cells in their blood along with electrocardiogram changes and triggers chest pain, that could be an indication of cardiac damage. Now, individuals who have recovered from the infection must get a complete heart check up at regular intervals to prevent any kind of heart ailments.

Although the Union Health Ministry had launched an initiative on 28th November, 2017 aimed at reducing disability and cardiovascular disease-related deaths in the country but the situation doesn’t seem to have come under control yet. Till then the only way one could prevent such a situation is by keeping themselves alert and getting check up done, avoiding stress and doing physical exercise and spreading awareness among their peers and learn to value their health and heart.