World Heart Day: Things You Can Do to Prevent Heart Disease

It is our belief that only elderly people are getting heat attacks. However, in recent years, many deaths of several well-known figures Siddharth Shukla, punishRajkumar, Raju Srivastava and BrahmaSwaroop Mishra due to heat attacks have changed our perception of how heart attacks can affect young people. 

According to 2021 hard statistics, 25% of all heart attacks in Indians occur under 40 years of age. According to the Indian heart association, 50 % of all heart attacks in Indians occur under 50 yrs of age. 40% of young people who have suffered heart attacks have had a history of smoking.

If you look at the number of deaths, 13 lakh people used to die of a heart attack in 1990. Annually that has increased to 28 lakhs in 2016 as per a survey, out of which 12 lakhs people are below 50 yr age group. This data is really alarming and telling we should focus on the prevention of heart disease.
Physical inactivity, smoking, and stress play a major role in heart attack in heart attacks in young people. High blood cholesterol, blood pressure, and sugar are otherproven risk factors for heart attack.

We can prevent heart attacks by keeping ourselves physically active, maintaining body weight, limiting alcohol intake,avoiding stress, quitting smoking, and reducing sugar, salt, and fat intake. The most important thing for prevention of heart attack should be started in childhood.
Fortunately, there are many things you can do to reduce your chances of developing heart disease:
• Control your blood pressure
• Keep your cholesterol and triglyceride levels under control
• Maintain a healthy weight
• Eat a healthy diet
• Exercise regularly
• Limit alcohol
• Do not smoke
• Manage stress
• Manage diabetes
• Make sure you get enough sleep

-Dr.SagarBhuyar, Senior Cardiologist, Kamineni Hospitals, Hyderabad