Health experts advise young working professionals, especially those in high-stress sectors like IT, to adopt healthier lifestyles from an early age and undergo regular preventive health check-ups.
The recent death of a 26-year-old man in Hyderabad, who collapsed while playing badminton and succumbed to a suspected heart attack, has once again drawn attention to the growing incidence of heart-related issues among young people.
Health experts advise young working professionals, especially those in high-stress sectors like IT, to adopt healthier lifestyles from an early age and undergo regular preventive health check-ups to reduce the risk.
Dr Sagar Bhuyar, senior consultant cardiologist at Kamineni Hospitals in Hyderabad, said heart conditions that were once seen in individuals in their 60s are now increasingly being diagnosed in people as young as 30.
"Slow narrowing of the blood vessels has shifted to the third (30s) and fourth decades (40s) from the 60s. The reason is sedentary lifestyle, food habits and stress," he told PTI.
Even school students, today, are experiencing stress due to a highly competitive environment and the pressure to perform, he pointed out.
"If a person is relaxed, the impact of stress on the heart is less. But if the person is stressed, the heart bears the brunt."
Dr Radha Priya, consultant interventional cardiologist with Apollo Hospitals, echoed similar concerns.
In recent times, she said people in their late 20s and early 30s are being found with significant blockages in their blood vessels and sometimes suffering from heart attacks.
"Heart issues are no longer a problem of elderly," Priya told PTI.
She noted that there are modifiable and non-modifiable risk factors when it comes to heart problems.
The non-modifiable factors include the age of the patient and a family history of heart problems.
"Diabetes, hypertension, smoking, alcohol intake, sedentary lifestyle, excess of junk and oily food, stress -- these are modifiable risk factors.
"Obesity is one of the major risk factors.
"Each one of them is interdependent."
She pointed out that a sedentary lifestyle, stress and habits like smoking -- common among employees in the IT sector -- are major risk factors.
When the body is under chronic stress, it causes inflammation which would lead to changes inside the blood vessels, she said.
She suggested health check-ups beginning in the twenties, physical activities like simple walking and eating in moderation as some of the ways to reduce the risk of heart problems.
"We see a lot of people binging on whatever is available. Because of the instant shopping apps, everything is at your doorstep in five minutes.
"You see a lot of biryani being sold. You don't know what oil they are using. In the long term, these things are going to be a trigger," Dr Priya said.
Quoting the World Health Organisation, Dr Bhuyar said incorporating preventive steps as far as heart disease is concerned should start in childhood itself.
Children in the sixth or seventh standard should know that they should not eat unhealthy food.
Underscoring the importance of health education for kids, he said, "Children are not thinking much about the future (in terms of health issues).
"They have to think that they may get problems in the third (age 30) and fourth decade (age 40).
"Physical activity should be promoted among children. Many of them are now addicted to gadgets."
Parents and teachers should teach children how to face problems and deal with life's challenges, he said.
Young working professionals, especially those working late hours or in shifts, should try to incorporate physical activity in their routine and make sure they are exposed to the sun's natural light to boost immunity, he added.
On incidents where seemingly healthy young individuals suddenly collapse during intense physical activity, such as playing sports, Dr Radha Priya said some of these could be isolated incidents.
However, there could be an underlying heart condition which was not diagnosed, among other reasons, leading such kinds of sudden collapses.
Noting that being fit and being healthy are not the same thing, she said basic health check-ups should be conducted irrespective of the body structure (even if a person is lean) to know their health status.
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Feature Presentation: Ashish Narsale/Rediff
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