A growing number of young people are falling victim to heart attacks. It’s a condition once associated mostly with the elderly. In Bangladesh and across the world, the rising trend has left health experts alarmed. What was rare a decade ago is now becoming disturbingly common among people in their 30s and even late 20s.
“I had a heart attack about 5 months ago, and I was only 34 at the time,” said Kingshuk Barua. “Becoming a father changed my routine. I stayed up late for my baby after work, and my body felt constantly restless. One morning, while getting ready for the office, it struck. I was rushed for emergency surgery and now I take eight to nine medicines daily, something I never needed before.”
According to the Cardio Metabolic Institute, one out of every five heart attack patients is currently under the age of 40. Evercare Bangladesh said three-quarters of deaths in low and middle-income countries in South Asia are caused by heart attacks. In Bangladesh alone, the death rate from heart attacks is about 14.31%. In the past 10 years, the number of heart attacks has increased 35 times among men and 48 times among women in our country. And this number is still rising every year.
Dr A.M. Shamim, founder and managing director of Labaid Group, mentioned that rising tension about the future, career competition, ambition and work pressure are major causes of the increasing number of heart attack patients. “Our Asian people have comparatively narrower blood vessels. There’s also a genetic influence. But the main cause is that now work pressure and ambition have increased among the younger generation,” he said.
Experts also identify smoking, lack of exercise, insufficient sleep, and poor dietary habits as major contributing factors. Many young professionals, burdened by tight schedules and stress, skip meals, overconsume caffeine and get minimal rest, all of which put strain on the heart.
“We are now seeing many heart attack patients aged between 30 and 35, which was not the case 20 years ago,” Dr Shamim noted. But he positively noted that people have become more aware nowadays. In the past, patients were often not taken to the hospital even after severe symptoms. But now they seek medical help even if they experience chest pain.
As the number of young heart attack patients continues to grow in our country, the doctor advised that people need to improve their food habits and maintain a regular lifestyle. “Those who have a family history of heart attacks should be more careful. In many families, fathers, uncles or grandfathers have died at a young age. So, that person should be more cautious than the rest. After the age of 30, a yearly body checkup is necessary.”
Sedentary urban living, they warn, has silently become one of the biggest threats to heart health. In today’s fast-paced, pressure-driven world, taking care of one’s heart has become a necessity rather than a choice. Ignoring warning signs can cost more than you think, sometimes, life itself.
