Here's why youngsters and children are more prone to heart defects, tips to treat anxiety to calm down an anxious heart

Cardiovascular diseases are one of the major causes of death globally and according to World Health Organization in 2019, approximately 17.9 million people died from cardiovascular diseases representing a total of 32% of the world. Heart attacks and strokes contribute to 85% of these figures and have become pretty common in India where shockingly the age group is lessening as compared to the past decades.

These days youngsters and children are more prone to heart defects. Revealing the reason behind why heart attack has become quite a common disorder in the youth now, Dr Vijay Kumar, Senior Consultant- Interventional Cardiology at Ujala Cygnus Bright Star Hospital in Moradabad, shared in an interview with HT Lifestyle, “Our sedentary lifestyle has made us prone to NCDs including high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity and stress. All these factors are the leading causes of poor heart health, leading to a heart attack. It has been seen some of the initial symptoms of heart attack are chest pain but we often ignore that.”

He advised, “One should not ignore such conditions and rather consult a doctor immediately and quickly opt for ECG. For existing heart patients, medicines play a crucial role. Stopping them without the consultation of a doctor can be fatal for the patient. Regular exercise as advised, avoiding oily food, stop smoking, control blood pressure, blood sugar and taking medications on time are the keys to leading a healthy life for a heart patient.”

Echoing the same, Dr Mahesh Wadhwani, Chief- Cardiac Surgery and HOD - Pediatric and Adult Cardiac at Paras Hospitals in Gurugram, said, “An unhealthy lifestyle, poor choice of food, lack of regular exercise or even excessive exercise at the gym has invited a lot of trouble for the youth. Heavy lifting and steroids are the troublemakers. Only a healthy heart can offer help to society. Keeping yourself healthy will help humanity overall and make this world a better place to be.”

Highlighting that stress can be detrimental to the heart, Dr Jyoti Kapoor, Founder and Senior Psychiatric at Manasthali, explained, “It increases inflammation in our body, which in turn is linked to factors that can harm our heart, such as high blood pressure and lower good HDL cholesterol but chronic stress can also affect our heart in a more indirect way. When we are worried, we tend to sleep poorly, less likely to exercise and make unhealthy food choices. All of these lifestyle changes can put our heart health at risk."

Studies have shown people who have anxiety, depression or chronic stress may have a higher risk of heart problems. Therefore, anxiety should be treated first to calm down an anxious heart. According to Dr Jyoti Kapoor, the choice of treatment for anxiety depends on a number of factors, such as its severity, which symptoms are dominant, and other health conditions. She suggested, “The primary approaches for treating anxiety entail talk therapies and medications. Cognitive behavioral therapy technique also helps one identify automatic negative thoughts, understand why they aren't rational and come up with ways to limit destructive thoughts and reinforce positive ones.”