Ahmedabad’s under 30 no more young at heart

The young in Ahmedabad are increasingly falling prey to heart ailments so far associated with people over 50. Data on coronary artery disease (CAD) accessed by DNA from three hospitals in the city show a steady rise in the number of patients who are not yet 30 years old.

The rise is also seen in the number of interventions (angioplasty and others) being carried out on such patients.

It should be noted that 60% of cardiac procedures performed in the city are carried out at the following three hospitals — Rajasthan Hospital, Sterling Hospital and UN Mehta Institute of Cardiology and Research Centre. 

In 2010, there was a 23% rise in new CAD patients under the age of 30 when compared to the previous year. In 2011, this rise was a whopping 54% when compared to the 2009 figures. The same was the case with the number of interventions carried out on young patients in the below-30 age group.

Compared to 2009, there was 42% rise in interventions in 2010 while the figure rose to 63% in 2011. Dr Hitesh Shah, an interventional cardiologist, said that there was a need to raise an alarm about the trend.

“In the US, those under 50 who suffer from CAD are termed as young patients. But here we are getting patients who are not yet 30. Apart from the medical costs involved, it is the overall economic cost to the country that we need to take into consideration when those in the productive age group fall prey to such diseases,” said Dr Shah. Dr Shah said he had come across 18 patients of CAD in the last one year.

Of this 6 were women, he said. Apart from the usual suspects like high consumption of junk food, lack of physical activity, high cholesterol level and blood pressure, Dr Shah believes that Indians’ genetic predisposition also plays an important role. He recommends getting oneself checked for risk factors.

Dr Prakashvir Parikh, another interventional cardiologist, said a similar trend can be seen in rural areas too.

“In the rural areas, the culprit is smoking. For urban youth it is unhealthy eating habits. Junk food is making it to the breakfast table so you can imagine the damage to health,” said Dr Parikh.

He said other factors include stress, irregular eating habits, lack
of exercise, inadequate sleep etc. “Another alarming sign is the rise in the number of women with CAD under the age of 30. Earlier CAD was reported from women post-menopause, but thanks to the unhealthy lifestyle even they are falling prey to heart ailments,” said Dr Parikh.

Call 108 if you have a heart attack
On the occasion of World Heart Day, the 108 service has urged the people of Gujarat to make use of the emergency medical service in case of a heart attack.  “Most patients call an auto-rickshaw or car to get to the hospital when it is advisable to call 108 which can provide prompt pre-hospital care,” said a release by 108.

This year so far the service has handled 23,053 cases of cardiac arrest in the state. Ahmedabad accounted for 21.7% of all the heart-related calls attended by 108, followed by Rajkot (9%). Most of the heart patients handled by 108 since 2007 were in the age group of 51 to 60 years. 20.35% of all the cardiac arrest cases fell in this age group.