DT Health: Beware, risk of heart failure up by 72 pc in last two years

Nowadays, everyone needs to be cautious and mindful as heart problems and cardiac arrests have been observed in people across all age groups and gender. Heart attacks triggered by issues like high blood pressure, insomnia, poor eating habits and lack of physical activity have become a part of life, say experts.

According to the Indian Heart Association, 50 per cent of all attacks in Indian men occur under 50 years and 25 per cent attacks in Indian men occur under 40 years of age.

Dr AN Patnaik, consultant cardiologist, said, “The coronary arteries supply blood to the heart muscle; atherosclerosis is the build-up of plaque within an artery wall. Coronary artery disease is the most troublesome and can be fatal if not treated on time. In recent times, we are seeing that it’s more common in men.” “Certain factors like smoking, diabetes, hypertension, excess ingestion of high cholesterol diet, physical inactivity, obesity and some genetic factors enhance the likelihood of developing CAD and other heart related issues. It is important to regularly exercise and watch sleep patterns. Sugar, oil and salt intake should be controlled. They should regularly take medications for diabetes, hypertension and high cholesterol even if they have no symptoms and cooperate with doctors,” he added.

According to a recent report, the risk of heart failure has increased by 72 per cent in the last two years. There are some common signs of heart attack, which people tend to ignore and misunderstand it to be some other ailment and delay in screening.

“Warning signs that people usually ignore include shortness of breath, or you may feel incapable of getting your breath back. If the heart is unable to pump enough blood to meet the needs of your body, you may feel unusual fatigue. You may feel pressure or tightness in the chest. Some people say it feels like someone is standing on their chest. Apart from that, it has been observed that around 90 per cent of cardiovascular disease can be attributable to risk factors, which can be substantially reduced by some of the following healthy heart and liver interventions,” says Amol Naikawadi, Preventive Healthcare Specialist and Joint Managing Director, Indus Health Plus.