Growing prevalence of heart attacks in younger population raised alarms and concern: Dr Sushil
STATE TIMES NEWS
Jammu: Contrary to the popular belief that CVD only targets the geriatric segment of population, Dr. Sushil Sharma asserted that a growing body of literature and clinical observations suggested that CVDs is happening to younger adults more and more often.
He briefed that the etiology of the rise in cardiovascular diseases in younger adults is multifactorial and has occurred concomitant with an increase in the proportion of populations that are overweight and obese; have prevalent hypertension, hyperlipidemia, less physical activity, involve in smoking, alcohol consumption and consume highly processed foods.
These health factors and habits are influenced further by ethnic, socioeconomic, and gender disparities resulting in a higher incidence and prevalence of cardiovascular disease in select community-based populations, Dr. Sushil said.
He shared these observations at health awareness cum check up camp in village Salehar, Tehsil Bishnah.
More than 250 patients mostly adults were examined, evaluated and advised during the camp. ECG, Blood Sugar, HBA1C and Lipid profile was conducted and medicines were also given as per the requirements.
Taking cue from the data that India accounts for one-fifth of all non-communicable diseases related deaths worldwide and most of these deaths are from the younger population, Dr. Sushil highlighted that heart diseases has also deviated from its routine pattern of targeting the older population and those with pre-existing heart conditions and have found a way to affect the younger population too.
Although there is no definitive age to experience a heart attack, the kind of lifestyle choices we make, our diet plans, our workout routines and how we manage our stress levels can influence our probabilities, he added.
While there are several modifiable risk factors associated with cardiovascular disease in the young, the most common are smoking and drug use, high blood pressure, and elevated LDL cholesterol. Hypertension alone is a risk factor that causes 13% of deaths worldwide. A sedentary lifestyle, alcohol abuse, and unhealthy eating also contribute to these risk factors, he elaborated.
Exploring the distribution of cardiovascular risk factors among youth is primordial as the development of chronic diseases begins in the early stages of life, Dr. Sushil said, yet it is a neglected issue in the literature.
Furthermore, keeping in view the fact that majority of the young population is unaware of the prevalence of CVDs, it is highly urgent to take actions towards raising awareness among youth about chronic diseases risk factors and highlighting their preventability as well as promoting healthy lifestyles in order to prevent future disease development, he urged.
Prominent Citizens of the Village Salehar Rakesh Pant, Suresh Choudhary (Panch), Satpal Singh ( Panch), Parveen Kumar (Panch), Subash Chander (Naib Sarpanch), Akhil Sharma, Naresh Kumar and Bharat Bhushan appreciated the camp conducted by Dr Sushil and his team. Others who were part of this camp include Dr Dhaneshwar Kapoor and Dr Anitpal Singh Asstt Prof.( Ortho). Paramedics and volunteers Include Kamal Sharma, Raj Kumar, Ranjeet Singh, Raghav Rajput, Gourav Sharma, Vikas Sabharwal, Nitesh Mahajan, Vijay Sharma, Kamal Sharma, Aman Gupta , Milan Kapoor and Amandeep Singh.
