Doctors call for action against growing burden of heart-related diseases

Lifestyle factors including neglect of hypertension highstress levels tobacco alcohol unhealthy diets and a surge in obesity are the key factors behind the growing burden of heartrelated diseases in the country said health experts ahead of the World Heart Day on September 29 calling for immediate actionWorld Heart Day is annually observed on September 29 to raise awareness of diseases related to the heart and also to work on solutions to mitigate itHeart attacks have recently been escalating in India particularly among the youth raising significant concerns Heart failure a condition where the heart cannot pump blood efficiently also has become a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in IndiaWith lifestyle changes and early detection individuals can reduce their risk and lead healthier lives The medical community urges everyone to take heart health seriously and prioritise preventive measures the heath experts saidThe most significant contributing factors to heart failure among youth include longstanding ischemic heart disease valvular heart disease diabetes mellitus and hypertension Saurabh Chopra Consultant Cardiology at Narayana Superspeciality Hospital Gurugram told IANSThere is an urgent need to make youth aware of underlying conditions that might spike and result in heart attack and failure hence they should go for regular checkups and make lifestyle modifications as preventive steps he addedIn its recent report the World Health Organization WHO underscored the grave repercussions of hypertension The report shows an estimated 1883 million adults aged 3079 years live with hypertension in IndiaHigh blood pressure medically referred to as hypertension earns its ominous nickname as the silent assassin due to its stealthy progression often evading detection until it unleashes grave health ramifications such as heart attacks and heart failureEarly detection of heart ailments is vital and crucial for survival said Dr Amar Singhal Senior Consultant Interventional Cardiologist Sri Balaji Action Medical InstituteThe symptoms can include persistent fatigue shortness of breath swollen legs and rapid or irregular heartbeat Ignoring these symptoms can lead to delayed treatment and worsened outcomes A young population under the impression that they are fit and do some workouts sometimes miss the underlying symptoms that can be fatal at a later stage he told IANSThe doctors recommended young people to do annual heart health checkups particularly check their cholesterol levels and take preventive steps to avoid clogging their heart arteriesIt is ldquoeven more important for a subset of people whose parents themselves had heart problems before they had turned old typically father below 55 years and mother below 45 yearsrdquo said Ranjan Modi Senior Consultant Interventional Cardiology at Sarvodaya Hospital FaridabadIt is because they are likely to have very high chances of excessive levels of cholesterol in their bloodstream the doctor explainedldquoIt is recommended that they should start getting their cholesterol checkup done once a year typically from 20 years of agerdquo Modi saidldquoMaintaining a healthy lifestyle through regular exercise a balanced diet and stress management can significantly reduce the risk of heart failurerdquo said Dr Samir Kubba Director Cardiology Dharamshila Narayana HospitalThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever