In the past few years cases of young people under the age of 50 dying suddenly because of a heart attack have been rising.
Recently news came out of a 23-year-old woman, Parinita Jain, collapsing on stage while dancing at her cousin’s wedding in Madhya Pradesh and eventually passing away. Reports also revealed that her young brother just aged 12 had also tragically passed away because of a heart attack.
This phenomenon is furthermore being seen in men, where many who are under 40 years of age are experiencing fatal levels of cardiac arrest despite being in good health overall.
Why Are 40-Year-Old Men Dying Of Sudden Heart Attacks?
The rise of heart-related issues and even deaths among young people is a very troubling trend. According to reports, many young healthy individuals who have not experienced any major illness are falling victim to heart-related deaths.
Dr Manjinder Singh Sandhu, Principal Director, Cardiology, Fortis Memorial Research Institute, Gurugram in a 2024 TOI piece wrote how a sedentary lifestyle with extreme screen time and unhealthy dietary choices are primary factors toward this phenomenon.
They also wrote how the growing rise of mental health issues is also a big factor in a worsening heart condition, “Another critical factor is the growing incidence of mental health issues among young people. Chronic stress, anxiety, and depression can have profound effects on heart health. Stress leads to the release of stress hormones like cortisol, which can increase blood pressure and contribute to unhealthy coping mechanisms such as vaping, smoking or excessive alcohol consumption. These habits are detrimental to cardiovascular health and can lead to serious heart conditions.”
Men, as per experts, are also more prone to experience cardiac problems compared to women.
Dr Mohammed Rehan Sayeed, Consultant, Cardiovascular And Thoracic Surgery, Manipal Hospital, Bengaluru explained, “These (atherosclerotic) plaques have a tendency to dislodge whenever there is a sudden load or stress on the arteries. The dislodgement can be triggered by any kind of physical or emotional stress. The dislodged plaques cause blockage in the arteries and lead to SCA (sudden cardiac arrest) and death.”
He also explained that “the female hormone, estrogen, has potent cardiac protective properties due to which women are at a significantly lower risk of having cardiac arrests until the perimenopause and menopause age. After menopause, there is no major difference between men and women.”
A March 2024 report by the Mayo Clinic also claimed that “sudden cardiac death in seemingly healthy people under age 35 is rare. It is more common in males than in females.”
Read More: Why This Sudden Rise Of Heart Attacks Amongst Indian Youth: Viral Video Of Youngsters Collapsing
There is also a rising phenomenon of startup founders and CEOs dying due to a heart attack with several instances coming out in just the recent past. Rohan Mirchandani co-founder of Drums Food International passed away at the age of 42 on December 21, 2024, after experiencing a cardiac arrest.
In 2023 Ambareesh Murty who co-founded Pepperfry one of India’s largest online furniture marketplaces also passed away at just 51 years old. President and CEO of Royal Enfield, Rudratej Singh, and Ranjan Das, Managing Director and CEO of SAP India, also passed away at 42 and 39 years of age from cardiac arrest.
The deaths of these prominent individuals in the fields of entrepreneurship and leadership have also highlighted the toll that the pressures of this lifestyle can take on one’s body. Stress and the demands of leadership are significant reasons for their passing, even after they had financial stability and were generally in good health.
These instances have also brought up the current scenario of the Indian corporate sector and how taxing it can be on one’s mental and physical health.
Dr Venkat D Nagarajan, Consultant Cardiologist and Electrophysiologist Lead for Cardiac Device and Heart Rhythm services at Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital, Mumbai commented that Indian men are at an increased risk of a heart attack at or under the age of 50.
He said, “As per the Indian Heart Association, 50 per cent of all heart attacks in Indian men occur under or at 50 years of age. Most of the deaths are from sudden cardiac arrest (SCA), a condition where the heart stops working without any warning. This occurs when the electrical signals that coordinate the heart’s beats don’t work appropriately and may be the first presentation of a heart attack.”
Dr Mohammed Rehan Sayeed has also spoken about how Indians genetically are prone to developing heart problems by their early or mid-40s, almost a decade earlier compared to Western individuals.
He said, “The most important factor is genetic predisposition – Studies have shown that Indians are genetically predisposed to developing cardiac problems at least by a decade earlier than their Western counterparts. Generally, cardiac problems in Indian adults begin to develop in the early to mid-40s and hence they are at a greater risk of experiencing angina or cardiac arrest. Indians are also genetically predisposed to hoard the bad cholesterol (LDL and triglycerides) in their body. The cause for this bad cholesterol hoarding is majorly attributed to certain enzymatic deficiencies and not dietary habits. LDL and triglycerides are bad for the heart as they increase the risk of CADs.”
Diabetes has also been stated as a condition that increases the risk of cardiac problems and a May 2023 report by The Indian Express claims that according to statistics 77 million people in India above the age of 18 are diabetic while 25 million are prediabetic.
Dr Sayeed further explains that “A vast majority of the population has a sedentary and unhealthy lifestyle from a very young age which again puts them at a risk of many health issues and hidden cardiac problems. Any sudden changes such as starting vigorous physical activities such as HIIT (high-intensity interval training) and gymming may exacerbate the hidden cardiac conditions and lead to cardiac arrests.”
A report by Wockhardt Hospitals claimed that a Mumbai hospital registered an increase of 15-20% in heart attack cases in its emergency ward in 2 months and the majority of those affected were in the age bracket of 25 years old.
The COVID-19 outbreak has also been claimed to be a reason behind the rise of heart attacks, especially among young people in India. Air pollution and overdoing one’s workout along with taking steroids are also listed as reasons why the frequency of heart attacks is rising among the young.
Image Credits: Google Images
Sources: The Indian Express, The Economic Times, TOI
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This post is tagged under: Heart Attack, Heart Attack India, Heart Attack men, Heart Attack young people, health, young people, young people health,
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