‘Number of cardiac patients below 40 years on the rise’

Kolkata: The death of 30-year-old Hirakjyoti Adhikari, son of former state minister Paresh Adhikari, on Friday has yet again turned the focus on rising instances of youngsters suffering cardiac arrests. A doctor by profession, Hirakjyoti, suffered a heart attack while conversing with his father and was declared brought dead at a sub-divisional hospital in Mekhliganj. Even though he was suffering from a kidney ailment, Hirakjyoti had no apparent cardiac condition. A recent study of a cross-section of cardiac patients in Kolkata shows that students of premier institutes and those with high-pressure private sector jobs often suffered heart attacks before they turned 40. According to Anjan Siotia, interventional cardiologist at BM Birla Heart Research Centre, there were very few cardiac patients in their thirties till five years back. “Now, I get multiple such patients every month. A significant number of cardiac patients and those suffering a heart attack would always be in their forties but the number has shot up sharply. In fact, I have come across more heart patients in their thirties and forties in the last year than ever before,” Siotia said. Blockages in cardiac arteries were now occurring earlier in a growing number of people, according to a recent study conducted by a medical devices’ company. Cardiologists have confirmed the findings of the study. By the time they are in their late teenage or early twenties, many start developing tiny blockages that grow into a full-blown block in 10 to 12 years, say experts. “Undetected heart ailments or lung conditions often trigger an unexpected and sudden cardiac arrest. As stress increases and lifestyle turns fast and unhealthy, cardiac ailments will set in early. We have seen that happening over the last decade,” said Fortis Hospital cardio-thoracic surgeon, KM Mandana. He added that exposure to pollution has also been indirectly affecting the heart, leading to heart attacks at a younger age. “Since the young are more exposed to pollution which affects their lungs, eventually affecting the heart. Underlying COPD is often a trigger for young patients,” added Mandana.Siotia said that a significant number of the young patients have had a stressful career since the age of 18. “They were either competing to get into a top-notch institute or doing a very stressful job which didn’t allow them to have a regulated life. Stress makes you prone to blocks and the earlier you develop them, the faster you will be struck by a heart attack,” he said. Stress hormones damage the lining of blood vessels, making them more prone to cholesterol deposits that narrow down arteries. Over a period of time, these deposits may turn into blocks, affecting the blood flow in cardiac arteries, leading to a heart attack. Last month, Siotia treated a 24-year-old, who had suffered a heart attack. “He is a non-smoker and goes to the gym regularly. Every alternate month we come across patients in their twenties or early thirties. Most of them are invariably young executives, who have been working hard under stressful conditions,” he said. Young cardiac patients are likely to suffer a more lethal heart attack due to their hectic lifestyle, said Medica Superspecialty Hospital vice-president and cardiac surgeon, Kunal Sarkar. “The average age of onset has changed from 55 to 60 years two decades ago to around 45 to 48 years now. While lack of physical activity and food habits are responsible for triggering diabetes, stress is also a factor. These can lead to a heart attack or a chronic cardiac disease. But there is little option for young people to escape stress. They are forced to adapt to stressful conditions and longer working hours which is bound to have an impact on the heart,” Sarkar added.
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