Young people delay seeking help for chest pain leading to increased damage to heart

Mumbai: Although more than ever before are consulting cardiologists, there is a tendency among them to ignore until after substantial occurs, according to a recent survey among 300 cardiologists across the country. among Indians are known to occur at least a decade earlier than in other ethnicities, and there has been a rise in heart attacks among those under 40 since the Covid epidemic in 2020. Yet, according to 78% of the surveyed doctors, patients, especially the younger ones, ignored chest pain for a long time and missed the golden hour intervention. About 60% of the cardiologists said that patients typically sought medical help only after substantial heart damage already occurred. Cardiologist Dr Ganesh Kumar from L H Hiranandani Hospital in Powai said that the number of youngsters seeking OPD consultation reflects the popularity of health packages that corporates offer. "We see more youngsters because they come to us with their cardiac test results for an opinion," he said. Moreover, as youngsters wear smartwatches, they rush for an opinion if they feel their heart rate at night is low. "After Covid, we have seen an increase in the number of young people coming to hospital emergency rooms with chest pain, but it turns out to be a false alarm as their troponin and ECG tests are normal," said Dr Kumar. Cardiologists also highlighted severe financial unpreparedness: 59% of the respondent-cardiologists said fewer than 40% of their patients could afford advanced cardiac treatment. "The survey showed lack of preparation in physical, emotional, and financial aspects of heart attack," said Rajagopal Rudraraju of TATA AIG, which conducted the survey. India has seen a significant increase in deaths due to heart attacks over the past five years since the Covid pandemic, with a 12.5% rise in cases in 2022 alone, leading to 32,457 deaths, according to the National Crime Records Bureau. The Indian Heart Association has said that half of all heart attacks in Indian men occur under 50, and a quarter occur under 40. Youngsters are acquiring a higher risk for obesity and hence heart disease due to lifestyle factors — "excessive screen time, food delivery services, and barely three to four hours of sleep," said Dr Kumar. Dr Ajay Mahajan, who heads the cardiology department at KEM Hospital in Parel, said it's considered a young heart attack when the patient is under 50 years of age. "There is better awareness and access to tests than ever before, so people find out about heart issues at a younger age. It's better detection than a sharp increase in heart attacks among youngsters," he said. The bigger worry is people in their 20s and 30s refuse to take chest pain seriously. "They tend to come late for help. However, a person over 40 is very conscious of the risk of heart attack and seeks help faster," added Dr Mahajan.