Age is not a bar anymore for Heart Problem

9th September 2021

Famous Footballer Christian Eriksen, Denmark’s midfielder, suffered a heart attack and collapsed during the Euro 2020 football match against Finland in Copenhagen on June 12, 2021. This incident raised the eyebrows of the whole world. The fact that a finely tuned high performing athlete can have a heart attack, shook the world.

Eriksen had a cardiac arrest in his late 20s. Hence, if you think you are not at risk for heart diseases because you don’t fit the stereotype of an older man experiencing a massive heart attack, then you may have a false sense of security. Fitness and good health are not enough to ward off cardiac problems.
It is not yet known what caused Eriksen to collapse and his heart to stop. However, the doctors said that maybe he has a congenital condition that has not been picked up till now. Congenital heart disease is a general term for a range of birth defects that affect the heart’s normal working process. “Congenital” means the condition is present from birth. Congenital heart disease is one of the most common types of birth defect.

Most Common Heart Disease Among Young Adults

Cardiovascular diseases would be the largest cause of death and disability in India by 2020 as per a World Health Organisation (WHO) report. The average age of people with heart ailments is coming down.
Common heart disease among young adults is Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) occurs at a younger age with over 50% of Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) mortality occurring in individuals aged less than 50 years.
Conventional Coronary Artery Disease predominates the number of heart attacks in young adults. About 80% of heart attacks in young adults happens because of CAD, and nearly 60% of these patients suffer from a disease of just one Coronary Artery. The number of arteries increases in the case of older patients.
Though CAD deserves most of our attention, other causes of heart attacks should also be paid attention to. Nearly 4% of heart attacks in young adults are caused by inborn abnormalities while another 5% are triggered by blood clots, originated somewhere else and carried in the bloodstream to normal Coronary Arteries to create a blockage. Various disorders of the blood clotting system increase the risk of clot formation throughout the circulatory system by another 5%. Another 6% includes a wide range of problems like spasm or inflammation, radiation therapy for chest tumours, chest trauma or abuse of drugs like cocaine and others.

Most young adults are affected by high rates of diabetes, metabolic syndrome, hypertension and smoking. These major risk factors tend to bring a heart attack almost 33% earlier than the usual age and often without a prior warning. Each of these problems is tragic in itself, but it is both common and preventable through some precaution.

Some different types of heart disease

Coronary heart disease
Arrhythmia
Heart failure
Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
Myocardial infarction

Factors that cause Heart Disease

Diabetes
Hypertension
Smoking
Family history of premature heart disease
Alcohol consumption
Physical inactivity

Symptoms- One may feel pain in the chest along with gastrointestinal indigestion or nausea. Another symptom is light-headedness or sweating, the most commonly seen symptom is fast heart rate or shortness of breath. One can also have no symptoms apart from a little discomfort.

When to See a Doctor
In any case of chest discomfort or chest pain, even if there is a little shortness of breath or any incident of fainting one should immediately consult the doctor.