Fatty liver cases higher in urban regions

The liver, essential for detoxifying the body and aiding digestion, can be damaged by excess fat accumulation, leading to inflammation, liver fibrosis, and eventually cirrhosis if untreated.

- UNNIKRISHNAN S @T'Puram

In his early 30s, Rahul Srivastava was at the peak of his career—juggling deadlines, late-night work calls, and a fast-paced lifestyle—until one evening, a sudden, crushing pain in his chest changed everything. Rushed to the hospital, he was shocked to learn he had suffered a heart attack. Once considered a disease of the elderly, cardiac arrests are now striking young adults with alarming frequency.

Dr. Ravi Prakash, senior consultant in cardiology at PSRI Hospital, Delhi, said that data from hospitals across India between 2020 and 2023 show that 50% of heart attack patients are below the age of 40. Doctors and researchers are alarmed by the growing number of cardiac arrests among individuals under 40 years of age. Experts attribute this rise to sedentary lifestyle, stress, poor diet, smoking, alcohol consumption, and even genetic factors. Emphasizing the urgency of the situation, Prakash said, "Heart attacks used to be a disease of the elderly, but in the last 4–5 years, cases among young adults have increased significantly."

A five-year study by Aakash Healthcare, Delhi, revealed that heart attack cases more than doubled after the Covid-19 pandemic, with emergency cases rising by 60%. The study analyzed 762 cases over three distinct periods—before, during, and after the pandemic—each spanning 22 months.

"A decade ago, heart attacks were more common in people in their late 50s or early 60s. The onset here was anyway a decade earlier than the West due to a distinct genetic makeup of Indians. But now, the trend has shifted alarmingly—people are suffering fatal heart attacks as early as their 30s. This is a serious concern," said Dr. Ashish Agarwal, director & unit head of cardiology at Aakash Healthcare. However, experts caution that not all sudden deaths in young people are due to heart attacks. Sudden cardiac deaths (SCD) are often caused by arrhythmias, which are irregular heartbeats, rather than blockages in the arteries.