Worried about heart attacks after 40s; All you need to know about key risk factors
TCN Service/Shimla
Amid growing concern over deaths due to sudden heart attacks, researchers at Indian Institute of Technology, (IIT) Mandi have come forward to find reasons and have identified key risk factors leading to cardiac arrests in adults after the age of 45.
Heart attacks or cardiac arrests or cardiovascular diseases are a major concern for governments as well as common man amid videos surfacing of people in the age group suddenly collapsing and dying.
As per an estimate, CVDs as these heart attacks are called cause deaths of 1.79 crore people worldwide every year, becoming a leading cause for mortality.
The researchers, including IIT Mandi assistant professor Ramna Thakur analysed the data of 59,000 adults in the age group of 45 and above in rural and urban Indian to arrive at key risk factors and the report has been published in the journal, Current Problems in Cardiology (Elsevier).
Key risk factors for heart attacks
“There are several traditional risk factors for CVDs, including high systolic blood pressure, low HDL cholesterol, obesity, unhealthy food, poor nutritional status, age, family history, physical inactivity, smoking, and alcohol consumption.
Additionally, exposure to air pollutants is another significant risk factor. We aimed to cluster these risk factors into different groups and identify the exclusive individual effect of each group on CVDs prevalence among adults aged 45 and above in India,” Thakur said.
“The study found that environmental exposure is a significant risk factor for the occurrence and progression of CVDs in older adults in India. A majority of the population of India resides in rural areas and uses unclean fuels for cooking and other purposes, exposing them to harmful smoke emitted from burning them. Second-hand smoke exposure, commonly referred to as passive smoking, is believed to have similar cardiovascular effects and risks comparable to active smoking.”
“The study also identified behavioural risk factors such as physical inactivity leading to CVDs. The study showed that the effect of physiological factors, which include diabetes, high cholesterol, depression, and being overweight or obese, is particularly serious. The sedentary lifestyle of people, the adoption of fast-food culture, and urbanization are some of the reasons for the prevalence of these physiological factors.”
Steps needed to reduce heart attacks risks
One must reduce indoor air pollution and safeguard public health.
Use cleaner technology such as liquified petroleum gas, solar, electricity, and biogas.
Engaging in light to moderate physical activity in middle or older age has a considerable positive impact on the reduction of the risk of cardiovascular disease and overall mortality.
Risk awareness programmes associated with alcohol and tobacco use could also be an effective method to curb their use and reduce the probability of getting diagnosed with CVDs.
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