In a tragic incident, amidst the counting of votes, Congress district president of Sehore district in Madhya Pradesh's Bhopal parliamentary constituency, Ratan Singh Thakur has died of heart attack.
Reports say that he was taking stock of the votes at the counting centre when he suddenly complained of chest pain and collapsed. His party members rushed him to the nearest hospital but his failing condition, eventually led to his demise.
Growing Number of Heart Attacks in India
While we don’t have the full details of Mr Thakur’s demise, it is a known fact that Indians are predisposed to cardiovascular disease.
Heart disease is the leading cause of death in India, killing 1.7 million people in 2016, up 53 percent from 2005, according to the Global Burden of Disease Report, released in 2017. Every day, 900 Indians under 30 die of heart attack, according to a Trinity Hospital Study from 2013.
And the scary part is that it is no longer old people’s issues.
Today it’s not uncommon to hear about people in their 20s and 30s struggling with their heart health. Even the ones who are seemingly healthy aren’t absolutely safe and can have sudden attacks.
Therefore, doctors recommend that you get an annual cardiac check up. By the age of 25, one should start getting the basic tests done. If there are risk factors and family history, one should get check ups for cholesterol levels right from the age of 10-15.
5 Precautions to Prevent Heart Disease
Speaking to FIT earlier, Dr Ashok Seth, Chairman, Fortis Escorts Heart Institute, had recommended the following precautions to prevent heart disease:
- Understand the risk factors for heart disease that can be avoided like smoking, sedentary lifestyle, obesity, and high blood pressure and work towards removing them.
- Take regular walks. Exercising doesn’t mean body building and excessive workouts. In fact, body building and the supplements you take with it can be harmful. Exercise for heart health means brisk walking for 45 minutes.
- Develop a work-life balance and deal with stress. Take time out of your stressful life to spend time with family, for indulging in your hobbies and relaxation.
- Get regular check ups for your cardiac health.
- Be proactive rather than reactive. Don’t wait for the disease to strike and only then start taking precautions. Develop healthy habits from an early age.
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