Too young for a heart attack? Think again

Twenty-seven-year-old IT employee Rohit Kotecha (name changed) used to skip reading articles on cardiac ailments, assuming it was something he wouldn’t have to bother about.

A few days ago, an incident changed Kotecha’s way of thinking forever. Experiencing sudden chest pain and sweating while he was on an assignment in Hyderabad, he was rushed into the emergency room of a hospital by colleagues. Doctors told him he had suffered a heart attack.

“He needed an angioplasty and once he was stabilised, his brother drove him down from Hyderabad to Pune for the procedure. The patient led a stressful lifestyle with erratic work hours and smoked nearly 100 cigarettes a day. In fact, such cases of youngsters have become routine for us,” said Duggal.

Doctors say cases of young patients in their late 20’s or early 30’s suffering heart attacks is so common that it doesn’t surprise them anymore.

“In most cases, till the last minute, the patients don’t accept that they are having a heart attack as they are too young. There are days when I have operated three to four cardiac patients in 20’s on the same day. Typically, we see more male patients suffering early heart attacks,” said cardiologist Dr CN Makhale.

Chief cardiologist and trustee of Ruby Hall Clinic, Dr Pervez Grant said the most common risk factors for youngsters is an unhealthy lifestyle.

“Most of the younger patients have lifestyle issues such as odd working hours that forces body to fight its biological clock, stressful lifestyle, little time to exercise and bad dietary habits which are common risk factors. In a large majority, we found a history of smoking which is extremely dangerous and often overlooked as young people take up habit as a stress buster,” said Grant.

In addition to lifestyle factors, experts are now in the process of identifying certain biological factors that make youngsters more susceptible to heart disease.

“Lack of certain enzymes like homocystein, which aid the cell-building process, may aggravate heart trouble. Also, the effects of serum lipoprotein A levels and triglyceride levels in the body on the heart are important,” said interventional cardiologist Dr Rahul Patil.

How to keep heart healthy
a) Keep your cholesterol levels in check as excess cholesterol can cause blockage of blood flow in the arteries, most common cause of heart attack.

b) Follow a healthy diet

c) Cut down on salt

d) Check your blood pressure and blood sugar levels regularly

e) Regular exercise can help ward off heart troubles
Sleep patterns should be regular as sleep disturbances could be contributing factor to heart attacks

f) Quit smoking and monitor your alcohol consumption
Manage your stress levels and ensure you take regular breaks

g) Check your family history for cardiac illnesses
Get an annual health check-up that includes tests to check the health of your heart