Heart failure getting younger

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Heart failure getting younger

Tuesday, 12 October 2021 | DR RAJEEV AGARWALA

Heart failure getting younger

There has been an increase in the number of cases of cardiovascular diseases in the younger age group. DR RAJEEV AGARWALA shares ways to prevent it

Over the last few years, cardiovascular diseases have become one of the leading causes of mortality in India. According to a 2019 study, one in four deaths in India were caused by cardiovascular diseases. While cardiovascular diseases are known to affect all age groups, there has been an increase in these diseases being reported in the younger population.

In fact, studies show that there has been an increase in the presence of cardiovascular diseases in people not older than 30. Factors such as increased stress levels can influence the occurrence of heart disease in the young, leading to complications such as heart failure.

Heart failure is a condition which occurs when the heart is unable to pump sufficient blood around the body, thus affecting the supply of necessary oxygen and nourishment to the rest of the body. It can also result in fluids building up in the lungs, leading to difficulty in breathing.

It is often caused by underlying medical conditions which may have caused damage to the heart, including coronary heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and high cholesterol, anemia, kidney disease, among others.

This disease affects about 1-2 per cent of our adult population, with an increased predisposition in older age. People of our South-Asian ancestry carry nearly 80 per cent relatively higher risk of heart-failure.

While the risk of heart failure increases in older age, our population bears an increased risk of premature cardio-metabolic diseases, and as a result, may also develop heart failure relatively earlier. Several modifiable aspects like uncontrolled hypertension, diabetes, obesity, high lipid-levels, smoking, tobacco consumption, and stress, may predispose to developing heart-disease prematurely, in younger age.

Today’s youth is caught in an imbroglio of hectic schedules, high-pressure jobs, demanding academic regimes, poor dietary choices, and lack of physical activity. This is leading to reduced sleep, poor quality of sleep, increased incidence of smoking and frequent alcohol intake, along with increased stress levels.

Prolonged stress has long-term consequences that inhibit the body’s ability to recover and relax. Such a maladaptive state may lead to increased blood pressure, metabolic derangements, and health-complications. This can directly affect the cardiovascular system, depress the health status, and make it vulnerable to a host of diseases.

A healthy heart is the sum total of the food you eat, the amount and quality of your sleep, the schedule you maintain, the exercise regime you follow, and the management of stress levels. Adopting healthy lifestyle measures is the key to good heart-health. Adequate physical activity, avoiding consumption of tobacco, keeping blood pressure in check by reducing salt intake and or appropriate medication, managing lipid levels with a balanced diet, sleeping enough and at appropriate time, are essential. Diabetes, obesity, or hypertension, need to be taken seriously.

The writer is DMCardiology, Director, Jaswant Rai Speciality Hospital

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