Why are even fit looking youth having heart attacks? Cardiologist told this
Author, Priyanka Dhiman
Designation, BBC correspondent
Published 2 hours ago
Reading Time: 8 minutes
Earlier, when heart attack was mentioned, the image of an elderly person would emerge in most people's minds. But now the situation is changing and youth are also rapidly becoming its victims.
Many times a person appears completely fit and healthy from outside, but serious heart related problems are developing inside him.
In BBC Punjabi's health podcast 'Sehat Secrets', a conversation was held with renowned cardiologist Dr. Kewal Kishan Talwar on this topic. Dr. Talwar is currently the Chairman of the Heart Institute of PSRI Hospital, Delhi.
He has been the head of the department of cardiology at AIIMS, New Delhi. Apart from this, he has also served as Director in PGI Chandigarh.
Padma Bhushan awardee Dr. KK Talwar has more than four decades of experience in the field of heart diseases.
In this conversation, an attempt was made to understand why the cases of heart attacks are increasing among the youth. Besides, it was also known what things need to be kept in mind to keep the heart healthy and avoid this danger.
What should youth do to keep their heart healthy?
The most important thing is to exercise every day. Even at your work place, try to use the stairs instead of the lift. Also keep doing physical activities.
It is very important to walk for 30 to 40 minutes every day. Try to cover a distance of one kilometer in 10 to 12 minutes.
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Take special care of food also.
eat fruits and vegetables. It is also good to eat eggs. Include dry fruits also in your diet. People who eat non-vegetarian food can eat roasted chicken and fish.
Mutton is high in fat. Therefore we recommend eating it less. Heredity also plays a big role in this disease.
Therefore, if someone has high cholesterol, he should also take medicines. Although I do not say that you should start taking medicines right from the beginning.
The first attempt should be to improve the condition through proper eating habits and exercise. Apart from this, the habit of cigarette and alcohol should be given up.
Cigarette is the root of many diseases. These include heart attack, stroke and cancer. Youth should also take care of passive smoking.
This means that you are not smoking a cigarette yourself, but someone present with you is smoking a cigarette.
Its effect on your body is almost the same.
Is it necessary to get a heart checkup before starting the gym?
Exercise is good for your body. It protects you from many diseases.
But if a person has never exercised before and suddenly starts exercising too much, it may cause harm instead of benefits.
Therefore, whenever you start exercising, do not do too much exercise all at once. Let your body get used to it gradually.
Well, exercise is very important for the body. It also keeps your heart healthy. Just like a machine needs oil, similarly exercise is necessary for the body.
But when you start any exercise, some regular checkups should be done. Like checking sugar and blood pressure.
Apart from this, we also recommend that you try out a little treadmill before starting. If there is any problem or any discomfort is felt, it is detected in the beginning itself.
Sometimes the levels of potassium and electrolytes can decrease due to sudden excessive exercise.
This can cause some heart related problem.
How much exercise should one do in a day?
One should exercise for 30 minutes to 45 minutes every day. A person who is young and healthy should walk one kilometer in 10 minutes.
If you can play sports like badminton, tennis and football, that is also great. This makes your body feel more relaxed.
Because when you take a walk, your mind keeps thinking about something or the other. But when you play sports, your entire attention is on it.
However, we recommend exercising five days a week. But if exercise can be done all seven days, then it is even better.
Are there any early signs before heart attack in youth?
Many times there are no warning signs in young people. He suddenly gets a heart attack.
But in elderly people, many warning signs appear before heart attack.
Such as shortness of breath while walking, shortness of breath while climbing stairs and feeling of heaviness in the chest.
But if I talk about youth, these symptoms are often not seen in them. He suddenly gets a heart attack.
If someone starts feeling short of breath while walking and feels heaviness in the chest, then he should consult a doctor.
This could be an early sign of some serious problem.
In which part of the body does heart attack pain occur?
The pain of heart attack occurs around the middle bone of the chest. This pain can also extend to the jaw. It can also be felt in both the right and left arms.
There may also be pain in the lower stomach. Many times people ignore it considering it to be just a stomach ache. This should not be done.
Another very important thing related to heart attack is that when someone is having a heart attack, the sooner medical help is sought, the sooner he can be treated.
There are three main arteries of the heart.
If there is a blockage in any one of these, it should be treated immediately by seeking medical help.
The sooner the treatment is done, the sooner the patient recovers. Nowadays a process called PCI is available.
With the help of this process the blood clot can be removed.
If the blockage in the artery is not removed, the heart muscle gets damaged.
What should be done first in case of heart attack?
First of all one should try to reach the hospital. Some medicines can be kept with you. Like aspirin or dispirin.
It should be chewed. This also makes an immediate difference.
But the most important thing is that you seek medical help as soon as possible.
What regular tests are necessary for heart health?
Sugar, cholesterol, blood pressure and uric acid. These are all necessary tests.
Apart from this, nowadays it is also advised to get CRP test done. But my opinion about this is that CRP can increase due to many reasons.
It is possible that there may have been some infection earlier. Because of that also CRP can increase. Due to this, confusion starts creating in the minds of people.
Another very important thing is that nowadays youngsters search on Google or take the help of AI.
I would say that in case of illness one should not depend only on these. This further increases the confusion.
It can also cause harm and does not always provide benefits. Instead of going to the doctor, many people start taking medicines with the help of Google or AI.
But many times this increases the problem instead of getting cured.
What is the first step in the treatment of heart attack?
When a heart attack patient reaches the hospital, a complete cardiac setup is present there.
First of all ECG is done. This reveals about heart attack. After this the blood is tested. Then the entire department is alerted, whether it is day or night.
Thrombolytic therapy should be taken immediately after reaching there. Only one injection is given in this. After this the patient can be referred to a bigger hospital.
Apart from this, it is also very important to increase awareness about CPR in the society. CPR means cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
Suppose a person has a heart attack and he immediately becomes unconscious.
If cardiopulmonary resuscitation is done at the same time and then he is admitted to the hospital, then the lives of many people can be saved.
