Heart Disease: An Escalating Health Crisis Today is World Heart Day – a day dedicated to raising global awareness about cardiovascular diseases, including heart disease and stroke. However, beyond the commemoration, it’s a sobering reminder of an escalating health crisis. Recent findings suggest hospitalizations and deaths due to heart failure are on the rise, calling for an immediate national and international response. Staggerring Statistics: Fatal Heart Attacks on the Rise A community medicine expert from the Directorate of Non-Communicable Diseases Division of the Health Ministry has disclosed a grim reality that can no longer be ignored. In 2020, over half the deaths in government hospitals were due to heart attacks. What’s even more alarming is the age group that is being affected. Heart attacks are increasingly affecting both men and women from 18 to 28, as well as between ages 29 to 39. This challenges the common belief that heart disease is predominantly a condition of the old. Early Awareness: Protecting the Future Generation Given the prevalence and the broadening demographic that heart disease is beginning to affect, it is imperative to develop and embed an early awareness system. The National Cancer Control Unit argues that it’s crucial to incorporate lessons on quick identification of heart disease into the school syllabus. This proactive approach can help the younger population equip themselves with the necessary knowledge to prevent and manage the disease. Noise Pollution: An Unexpected Contributor A consultant cardiologist shed light on another significant contributor to heart disease – noise pollution. Not only is this a less-known cause to the public, but it’s one that lacks adequate regulations. By garnering attention to noise pollution, we hope to influence relevant authorities to either introduce or enforce laws that can limit it. Psychosocial Factors: The Hidden Culprits Stress, both social and mental, has been identified as a potent provocateur of heart attacks. You might be a silent cardiac patient if you experience body pain, difficulty breathing, and chest fatigue. Knowing symptoms can spur timely clinical interventions leading to improved chances of survival. Continuous Advocacy: The Way Forward As World Heart Day is commemorated, it is essential not just to recognize but act upon the alarming rise in heart disease. The needs are manifold and include extensive policy changes, public education, environmental regulation, and developing early diagnostic systems.

Fifty-two percent of deaths in state hospitals due to heart attacks