Dr. C. N. Manjunath, Director, Sri Jayadeva Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences and Research on Friday said that 30 percent of heart attacks were happening among those aged below 45 years and the youths were becoming prone to heart attacks 10 to 15 years earlier in their lifespan because of lifestyle diseases that were triggering a serious health concern, especially among those aged between 20 and 40 years.
The country’s youths are at a greater risk of developing heart diseases and sedentary lifestyle has to be blamed for it. It is a matter of serious concern that people in their productive ages are falling sick, he cautioned.
Participating in the meet-the-press organised by the Mysore District Journalists’ Association (MDJA) here, Dr. Manjunath said 50 percent of deaths in the country occur due to non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and some of the NCDs were heart attacks, diabetes, hypertension, paralysis, and cancer. “Screen addiction (mobile phone obsession) and loneliness are also causing deaths,” he said.
Quoting a study on the rise in heart attacks in youth, Dr. Manjunath said 50 percent of smokers and 16 percent with family history of cardiac ailments are susceptible to heart attacks. Around 30 percent with no bad habits and family history were also getting attacks due to work pressure. The stress-induced heart attacks could be because of high expectations in life and achieving success in quick time. If 70 percent of heart attacks were caused by lifestyle diseases, 30 percent were due to pressure, he explained.
Dr. Manjunath cautioned against delaying shifting of a heart attack victim to hospital. “A delay of 30 minutes can increase the chances of death by 7 percent. The golden hour treatment is key,” he observed.
Advising the people to avoid five ‘S’ for staying healthy, Dr. Manjunath said smoking, salt, spirit (liquor), sedentary lifestyle and stress can help keep the heart healthy. It is recommended to check BP, diabetes and the functioning of the heart (by an ECG) to know our health status. This can help in taking corrective measures and prevent an attack, he advised.
Dr. Manjunath said 30 lakh people in India have heart-related diseases while nearly seven crore people are suffering from diabetes and another seven crore people diagnosed with pre-diabetes. As the saying goes prevention is better than cure, people must start staying fit with regular walking and exercise like yoga. Fasting once a week, laughing, sleeping well and positive thinking are also key for remaining healthy, he said while advising cycling for staying fit.
On the reports of celebrities and others dying after working out sessions, Dr. Manjunath suggested that the people get their cardiac factors checked before going for high density workouts in gyms.
People should also be careful about their waistline as an increase in every inch above 36 waist increases the risk of getting heart attacks by 10 percent, he warned.
Earlier, MDJA President S.T. Ravikumar and General Secretary M Subramanya felicitated Dr. Manjunath in recognition of his services in the field of public healthcare. Vice-Presidents Anurag Basavaraj and Dharmapura Narayana were present.
