Experts warn youngsters against rising heart disease risk

On the occasion of World Heart Day, observed under the theme 'Don't Miss a Beat', experts sounded a powerful alarm on the rising tide of cardiovascular disease among the youth.

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With a focus on prevention and awareness, the institute highlighted disturbing trends that show how young people are increasingly falling prey to heart-related ailments. Dr Bishav Mohan, professor and head of cardiology at Hero DMC Heart Institute (HDHI), shared findings from two decades of research that paint a grim picture. "We are witnessing heart disease in younger populations at rates that were once considered rare," he said. His studies, published in the British Medical Journal and Indian Heart Journal, revealed that sustained hypertension affects 5.7 per cent of rural residents and 8.4 per cent of urban dwellers in Ludhiana. Even more concerning, obesity among schoolchildren was recor