Yet another young patient..44 years..Anterior wall MI..Going home today after a successful angioplasty. Alarmingly high incidence of major heart issues in the young population with no apparent risk factor. Some common observations in most of them..

Stress is a major contributor. Can’t be measured objectively by any test and is usually assumed as a part of life. Ambitions/ responsibilities force the young to compromise of work life balance. Social media/ peer pressure compels them to keep flashing their lifestyles.

Sitting is the new smoking. Also, going to a gym/ walk daily does not necessarily compensate for sitting the rest of the day. Apps which give alerts on prolonged inactivity can be helpful to recognise this issue and encourage moving around when possible.

Soft drinks, weekly outings, packaged food/ canned foods, fast foods, a major meal in cafeteria every day, lack of fruits and veggies..All of these are killing us every day. Please don’t wait to develop issues to start eating healthy..

Lack of sleep/ Reversal of sleep pattern. Techies working for nations in a different time zone, drivers driving at night, doctors doing exclusive night duties, BPO workers, party hoppers. Anyone who reverses their sleep cycle and sleeps in morning/ afternoon and is up all night.

Normal weight obesity..Normal weight and BMI does not necessarily mean that we are healthy..We Indians tend to have abdominal obesity despite a lean body, which is a harbinger of many metabolic issues..

Obstructive Sleep Apnea..Snoring is not always benign, especially if it causes drowsiness in morning hours..Please let us be aware of this entity and bring it to the attention of your doctor..

Starting rigorous activity/ running marathons/ going for very high altitude treks..without acclimatising the body/ getting a cardiac screening done..Sorry to disappoint..But just running a marathon does not make you immune to heart disease..Don’t get fooled by their slogans..

All these are besides routine risk factors like smoking, obesity, abnormal cholesterol, hypertension, diabetes, family history..most of which we know of, yet often do nothing about! Heart disease in women is a thread for another day..Let’s aim for healthy hearts and happy lives!