Heart attacks have become a common phenomenon. Earlier, it was associated with old age, however, now it is striking more and more young ones. In India, this has raised a major health issue, with 50% of heart attack reported in patients below the age of 40 between 2020 and 2023, as per Dr Ravi Prakash, a senior consultant in cardiology in PSRI Hospital, who cited data from across hospitals. Geetanjali Hospital, Udaipur also reported the same statistics, in fact as per Apollo Hospitals, every minute, about four Indians in the age group of 30 to 50 years experience fatal heart attacks. The hospital website also notes that Indian gets heart attacks 8 to 10 years before any other ethnic group across the world.

What Makes Indians More Vulnerable To Heart Attack At A Younger Age?

What makes Indians more prone to heart attacks—and that too at a younger age? Research suggests a distinct pattern of dyslipidemia (abnormal fat levels in the blood) that, when combined with a natural tendency toward insulin resistance, often leads to early-onset diabetes. Additional contributing factors include smoking, use of other tobacco products, and hypertension. Genetics also play a significant role, with familial hypercholesterolemia being a common cause of premature heart disease in the Indian population.

The impact of today’s fast-paced lifestyle further intensifies this vulnerability. High mental and physical stress—driven by job-related competition and pressure—leads many to adopt harmful habits like smoking and alcohol consumption, both of which are known risk factors for heart disease. A sedentary lifestyle, coupled with insufficient sleep, only compounds these risks.

What Does The Doctor Say?

Dr Rohit Sane, who is the CEO & Managing Director at Madhavbaug Hospitals said that the reason is not a sudden illness, but lifestyle habits, as was also reported by IndiaTV.

He also pointed out four hidden factors which could make young people in India more vulnerable to heart attacks:

Chronic Stress: A Silent Strain on the Heart

Modern life is fast-paced, competitive, and often isolating. Unlike earlier times, where joint families and strong communities provided emotional support, today’s environment leaves many young people juggling pressures from work, social media, and family life — often with little space to breathe.

This constant emotional stress quietly affects both the body and mind. Stress hormones raise blood pressure and blood sugar levels, and they trigger inflammation in blood vessels, increasing the risk of heart attacks over time. Many don’t realise the toll it has taken until warning signs appear — sometimes too late.

Processed Foods: A Hidden Threat in Everyday Diets

The comfort of fresh, home-cooked meals is increasingly being replaced by fast food, packaged snacks, and sugary beverages. These ultra-processed foods are often packed with trans fats, refined sugars, and artificial additives.

Beyond just adding weight, these foods fuel chronic inflammation in the body, quietly damaging artery walls and promoting plaque buildup and clot formation. Over time, this can narrow or block blood flow to the heart, raising the risk of heart attacks — even among those in their 30s.

Lack of Sleep: Skipping Nature’s Recovery Window

Sleep is essential for the body’s repair and reset. Yet, job demands, binge-watching, and screen addiction mean many young adults rarely get the recommended seven to eight hours of rest.

Inadequate sleep disrupts the body's internal rhythm, alters hormones, and elevates stress levels. It also impairs how the body handles sugar and fats, increasing the risk of diabetes and high cholesterol. Skipping sleep regularly is akin to ignoring basic maintenance for the body’s most vital system.

Misplaced Fitness Priorities: Fit Bodies, Stressed Hearts

Fitness trends today often revolve around aesthetics — six-packs, sculpted arms, and social media-ready bodies. But genuine health isn’t just skin deep. True heart health relies on endurance, flexibility, and nervous system balance.

Excessive training without adequate rest, imbalanced routines, or ignoring holistic exercises like yoga, swimming, or brisk walking can put added strain on the heart. Fitness should be about long-term well-being, not just surface-level transformation.

We often hear of dementia as an adult, or older people's disease, but, a father from Glasgow shares how his four-year-old daughter was diagnosed with the condition. Childhood Dementia news of Darren Scott's daughter was delivered to him like a "complete thunderbolt", he tells Sky News. She was diagnosed with the condition before she turned four. Five doctors were waiting, when Sophia Scott, who had just turned four, were summoned to a Glasgow hospital room. Then came the worst news. Scott was told that his daughter could not live beyond the age of 16. "We were told... there was nothing they could do. It was a moment that broke us, shattered our lives. We have never recovered," he says.

What Is Childhood Dementia?

As per Dementia Australia, childhood dementia is a rare brain condition that affects one in every 2,900 babies globally. Childhood dementia is a group of serious brain conditions that interfere with a child’s memory, behavior, emotions and ability to communicate. It isn’t caused by lifestyle or ageing. Instead, it stems from more than 100 rare genetic disorders that children are born with. These include conditions such as Niemann-Pick type C, Batten disease and Sanfilippo syndrome.

No two children experience childhood dementia in the same way. The illness progresses differently for each child, but one thing remains constant: there is currently no cure. Like adult dementia, childhood dementia is progressive, meaning symptoms worsen over time. Heartbreakingly, around half of all affected children do not survive beyond the age of 10.

What causes childhood dementia?

Childhood dementia is genetic. Globally, about one in every 2,900 babies is born with a condition that can lead to childhood dementia. In Australia alone, an estimated 1,394 children were living with dementia in 2021.

The conditions that cause childhood dementia fall into several categories, including inborn errors of metabolism, lysosomal disorders, mitochondrial disorders, mucopolysaccharidoses, leukodystrophy, neurodegeneration with brain iron accumulation (NBIA), and peroxisomal diseases.

Signs and symptoms to look out for

Symptoms can begin in early childhood or appear much later, sometimes not showing up until the teenage years. The progression may be rapid or unfold slowly over several years, deeply affecting both the child and their family.

Much like adults with dementia, children may struggle with memory loss, confusion, changes in personality, anxiety or fear, and severe sleep disturbances. They may also find it difficult to concentrate, learn, communicate or understand things, and some experience behavioral challenges such as hyperactivity.

In addition, childhood dementia can affect the body beyond the brain. Children may develop problems with their bones or joints, experience issues with the heart, lungs or digestive system, lose their ability to move, see or hear, or have seizures.

As the condition advances, children gradually lose skills they once had — talking, walking, reading, writing and playing. Eventually, the body itself begins to shut down. Without major medical breakthroughs and more research, most children with childhood dementia will continue to face a shortened life, often not surviving beyond their teenage years.

India is staring at a sharp rise in lung cancer cases over the next few years, with experts warning that the disease is no longer confined to smokers alone. A recent study published in the Indian Journal of Medical Research projects a significant increase in lung cancer incidence by 2030, with certain regions, particularly the North-East, expected to bear a disproportionate burden. Alarmingly, women are showing one of the fastest rises in new cases.

At a time when the country is on the brink of what researchers describe as a “tsunami” of lung cancer cases, doctors stress that public awareness, early detection, and breaking long-held myths are more important than ever.

Lung Cancer Is No Longer Just a Smoker’s Disease

Lung cancer has long been associated almost exclusively with smoking, but experts say that narrative is outdated. Speaking to The Times of India (TOI), Dr Arun Kumar Goel, Chairman – Surgical Oncology at Andromeda Cancer Hospital, Sonipat, explained that while smoking remains the biggest risk factor, non-smokers are increasingly being diagnosed with the disease.

“Air pollution, indoor cooking smoke, passive smoking, radon gas exposure, occupational hazards like asbestos, and even family history can contribute to lung cancer,” Dr Goel explined. He added that adenocarcinoma, a subtype of lung cancer, is particularly common among non-smokers and appears to be linked more to environmental and genetic factors than tobacco use.

Early Symptoms Are Easy to Miss

One of the biggest challenges with lung cancer is that its early symptoms are often vague and easily mistaken for common respiratory problems. Dr Goel told TOI that persistent cough, changes in cough pattern, coughing up blood or mucus, unexplained chest pain, breathlessness, fatigue, and sudden weight loss are warning signs that should not be ignored.

“In India, lung cancer symptoms often overlap with illnesses like tuberculosis, which leads to delays in diagnosis,” he said. As a result, many patients only seek medical help when the disease has already progressed to an advanced stage.

What a Diagnosis Changes Overnight

A lung cancer diagnosis can be life-altering, both physically and emotionally. According to Dr Goel, patients are suddenly faced with difficult treatment decisions, ranging from surgery and chemotherapy to radiation or targeted therapy. Physical symptoms such as breathlessness and exhaustion can significantly affect daily life.

Emotionally, patients may experience shock, anxiety, fear about the future, concerns for their families, and a loss of independence. “Support from medical teams, counselling services, and loved ones plays a crucial role during this period,” he said.

The Biggest Myth That Delays Care

The most damaging myth, experts say, is the belief that lung cancer only affects smokers. Dr Goel warned that this misconception often results in non-smokers dismissing symptoms or doctors delaying screening. “Anyone can develop lung cancer, regardless of smoking history,” he said.

Early Detection Can Save Lives

If there is one message the public should remember, Dr Goel said, it is that early detection can dramatically improve outcomes. Persistent cough lasting several weeks, unexplained breathing difficulties, or ongoing chest discomfort should prompt immediate medical attention.

“Recognizing symptoms early and seeking help can change the course of treatment and significantly improve quality of life,” he said.

Face masks are not adequate when it comes to protection against flu-like illnesses, including COVID, said the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines. As the number of flu cases rise in the US and the UK, this WHO guideline, may be of use. The guidelines noted that the surgical masks worn by doctors and nurses, when they are face to face with a patients are no longer providing the protection, and must be replaced with respirators.

The guidelines noted in a letter to the WHO chief Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, noted there is “no rational justification remaining for prioritizing or using” the surgical masks that are ubiquitous in hospitals and clinics globally, given their “inadequate protection against airborne pathogens”. “There is even less justification for allowing healthcare workers to wear no face covering at all,” the letter read.

When COVID was at its peak, an estimated of 129 billion disposable face masks were being used around the world every month. These were used by the healthcare workers as well as general public. These surgical masks were most widely available and recommended by most health authorities during that time. However, respirators were then designed to filter tiny particles. Then came the masks FFP2/3 standards in the UK or the N95 in the US. Evidence also supported that many countries are switching to these masks and that they are more effective. This resulted in fewer infections in patients and health professionals, as well as reducing the rate of sickness, and burnout of the healthcare professionals.

What Is The Key Difference Between Respirator and Surgical Mask?

Face masks are loose in fitting and are designed for one-way protection. It protects others from coughs and sneezes. WHO recommends a three-layer mask when people cannot socially distance. However, not all face masks have a safety rating.

The respirators on the other hand has a tight fitting, which creates a facial seal and filters both inflow and outflow of air. It tightly covers the nose and the mouth. It also removes 94% of all particles that are 0.3 microns in diameter or larger. It is also designed to protect the wear up to the safety rating of the mask.

COVID - Airborne or Not?

The WHO has faced criticism for its delayed acknowledgment of Covid-19’s airborne transmission. The letter urges the agency to reassess its earlier position and clearly communicate to the public that the virus spreads through airborne respiratory particles.

Professor Trisha Greenhalgh of the University of Oxford, a signatory to the letter whose research is widely cited in it, said that infection occurs only when germs enter the body. She explained that respirators, which seal tightly against the face, force air to pass through high-grade filters that block airborne pathogens. In contrast, she noted, medical masks fit loosely and allow significant air leakage.

Supporters of the letter include members of the World Health Network, leading US epidemiologist Eric Feigl-Ding, and Guardian columnist George Monbiot.

Responding to the letter, a WHO spokesperson said it would undergo “careful review.” The spokesperson added that the organization consults experts across diverse health and economic settings when developing guidance on personal protective equipment for healthcare workers, and that its Infection Prevention and Control guidelines for epidemic- and pandemic-prone respiratory infections are currently under review in light of the latest scientific evidence.