
Why are young, active adults facing fatal heart issues? The silent cardiac crisis striking healthy youth
A wave of sudden cardiac deaths among young adults is sweeping across India and the world—and the big question is: Why?
Explore courses from Top Institutes in
Select a Course Category
others
CXO
PGDM
Project Management
Design Thinking
Public Policy
Leadership
Management
Digital Marketing
Degree
Cybersecurity
Healthcare
Data Analytics
healthcare
MBA
Artificial Intelligence
Product Management
Technology
MCA
Data Science
Others
Data Science
Operations Management
Skills you'll gain:
Duration:
16 Weeks
Indian School of Business
CERT - ISB Cybersecurity for Leaders Program India
Starts on
undefined
Get Details
Skills you'll gain:
Duration:
16 Weeks
Indian School of Business
CERT - ISB Cybersecurity for Leaders Program India
Starts on
undefined
Get Details
Experts are ringing alarm bells, and it's time we all listened.
The Startling Shift: From Rare Tragedies to Daily Headlines
According to a report from Times of India citing Dr. Girish B Navasundi, Senior Consultant in Interventional Cardiology at
Apollo Hospitals
, 'We're seeing people who appear healthy—students, professionals, even athletes—suddenly dying of cardiac arrest. It wasn't this common earlier.'
So what changed? Why are people under 40—who should be in the prime of their lives—suffering fatal heart events?
You Might Also Like:
Shefali Jariwala's shocking death at 42: Apollo doctor explains why younger Indians are vulnerable to heart attacks and reveals silent symptoms
The answer lies in a perfect storm of genetics, lifestyle stressors, and post-COVID complications—all converging to make young hearts more vulnerable than ever before.
Cardiac Arrest ≠ Heart Attack: Know the Difference
First, let's clear the confusion:
A heart attack happens when blood flow to the heart is blocked—often due to clogged arteries.
A cardiac arrest is electrical—your heart suddenly stops beating, and death can occur within minutes.
While a heart attack might show signs like chest pain or discomfort, cardiac arrest often strikes without warning, leaving victims with little to no time to react.
You Might Also Like:
How being in love can actually boost your heart health, according to cardiologists
The Silent Risks Lurking in Young Bodies
Behind many cases of
sudden cardiac death
are undiagnosed conditions.
Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy
(HCM): A thickening of the heart muscle that often goes unnoticed.
Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Cardiomyopathy (ARVC): A rare genetic disorder affecting heart rhythm.
Congenital Heart Defects: Present from birth but may only show symptoms later in life.
According to the Cleveland Clinic, such heart abnormalities are now surfacing in people as young as 15.
But there's more: COVID-19 has left behind a trail of cardiovascular complications.
Even asymptomatic or mildly affected young people have reported myocarditis (inflammation of the heart muscle), which can lead to fatal arrhythmias.
A Heart Under Constant Attack
Poor diet and sedentary habits
Overconsumption of processed foods and energy drinks
Late-night work, screen time, and poor sleep
Extreme or unsupervised workouts without rest
Supplements and steroids used for quick fitness gains
Add to this the invisible burden of chronic stress.
As Dr. Navasundi explained: 'Mental and emotional stress raises blood pressure, disrupts sleep, inflames the body. The heart doesn't get rest—it's always in fight mode.'
Stress has become so normalized among the youth that palpitations, anxiety, and fatigue are often ignored until it's too late.
The Symptoms That Shouldn't Be Dismissed
Cardiac arrests may be sudden—but the body often whispers before it screams. Watch out for:
Shortness of breath
Dizziness or blackouts
Unexplained fatigue
Chest pain or tightness
Heart palpitations
These symptoms are often misattributed to 'overwork,' 'gym soreness,' or 'just stress.' But in reality, they could be your heart crying for help.
According to the Journal of the American Heart Association, the survival rate for out-of-hospital cardiac arrests is just 10%. That's why bystander CPR can double or triple survival chances.
Sadly, India ranks low in CPR awareness. Knowing how to respond in those critical first minutes—before an ambulance arrives—can mean the difference between life and death.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
Over 200 cancer day care centres to be established across India: Government
More than 200 Day Care Cancer Centres (DCCCs) have been approved for establishment across the country for the financial year 2025-26, including 14 centres in Andhra Pradesh, Minister of State for Health Prataprao Jadhav told the Lok Sabha on Friday. The Union Health Ministry conducted a national gap analysis using Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) cancer registry data and planned for the establishment of Day Care Cancer Centres (DCCCs) in consultation with states, as per announcement in the Union Budget 2025-26 . Explore courses from Top Institutes in Please select course: Select a Course Category Digital Marketing Technology Healthcare Product Management healthcare Operations Management Management Project Management Design Thinking Artificial Intelligence Public Policy Others Data Analytics MCA MBA Degree Data Science Finance Leadership CXO Cybersecurity Data Science others PGDM Skills you'll gain: Digital Marketing Strategy Search Engine Optimization (SEO) & Content Marketing Social Media Marketing & Advertising Data Analytics & Measurement Duration: 24 Weeks Indian School of Business Professional Certificate Programme in Digital Marketing Starts on Jun 26, 2024 Get Details Skills you'll gain: Digital Marketing Strategies Customer Journey Mapping Paid Advertising Campaign Management Emerging Technologies in Digital Marketing Duration: 12 Weeks Indian School of Business Digital Marketing and Analytics Starts on May 14, 2024 Get Details High-burden districts were prioritised, and proposals were submitted by the states and UTs, and finalised by the National Programme Coordination Committee (NPCC) to optimise resources and avoid duplication, the minister said in a written reply. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like The Killer New Toyota RAV4 Is Utter Perfection (Take A Look) GoSearches | Search Ads Undo "For financial Year 2025-26, more than 200 Day Care Cancer Centres (DCCCs) have been approved for establishment across the country, which includes 14 such centres in Andhra Pradesh," he said. The DCCCs will be established in district hospitals as per the availability of space and logistics. However, based on the feasibility and as per state proposals, DCCCs can also be established in other government health facilities. Live Events Unit cost for establishment of DCCCs may be up to Rs 1.49 crores as per the requirement and gaps at that facility. Fund requirement would be fulfilled by the State Resource Envelope (RE) of National Health Mission (NHM), and the proportion of states and UTs will be as per norms of NHM, the minister said. As per the announcement of the Union Budget 2025-26, the government plans to set up Day Care Cancer Centres (DCCCs) in district hospitals in the next three years, out of which 200 centres are proposed to be set up in the financial year 2025-26.


Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
Cipla targets $1 bn US revenue in FY27
Mumbai: Cipla aims to achieve $1 billion sales in the US by the next fiscal year, driven by the products it has lined up for launch which the Indian drug maker expects will more than compensate for the imminent patent expiry and price erosion on cancer drug Revlimid. 'We believe our pipeline should get us closer to the target (of $1 billion) or surpass that by FY27, depending on the launch timing,' managing director and global chief executive Umang Vohra said over an investor call on Friday. Explore courses from Top Institutes in Please select course: Select a Course Category Management others Finance Technology MBA Degree PGDM Cybersecurity Project Management Data Science CXO Digital Marketing Design Thinking Product Management healthcare Operations Management Data Science Leadership Data Analytics Public Policy MCA Others Artificial Intelligence Skills you'll gain: Duration: 10 Months IIM Kozhikode CERT-IIMK GMPBE India Starts on undefined Get Details Skills you'll gain: Duration: 11 Months IIM Kozhikode CERT-IIMK General Management Programme India Starts on undefined Get Details Skills you'll gain: Duration: 9 Months IIM Calcutta CERT-IIMC APSPM India Starts on undefined Get Details 'We have plans for all our launches that are coming in to make up for the revenue losses for Revlimid and that will happen in the short to medium term,' he added. The US remains a very attractive market for Cipla. 'We see it as a growth market over the next 3-5 years,' he said. A generic version of Revlimid (lenalidomide) is one of Cipla's top-selling products in the US. As part of an out of court settlement, Cipla manufactures and markets the drug in the US. Analysts said the expiry of the drug's patent is expected to significantly impact Cipla through a reduction in revenue and potential margin pressure. Cipla has a robust pipeline for the US business with respiratory generic Advair closer to commercialisation and is also preparing for launch of generic Symbicort and a couple of inhalation products. It also plans to launch 2–3 peptide assets in FY26. Timely monetisation of these launches remains critical for the company to offset the lenalidomide generic sales erosion, according to a report by broking firm IIFL. Vohra sees the respiratory segment and new product launches lined up in the category to be the biggest opportunity for Cipla in the next 12 months. 'We have 3-4 launches coming up for the US alone, we have several coming up for emerging markets and several for India,' he told ET. About potential US tariffs on the pharma sector, Vohra said he does not see it having a 'debilitating effect'. There will be an impact, but it will not derail the business, he said. The company on Friday reported a 10% year-on-year increase in consolidated net profit to Rs 1,298 crore for the first quarter ended June. Revenue rose 4% to Rs 6,957 crore and Ebitda was 25.6% of the revenue, the company stated in a filing with stock exchanges. Its India business delivered growth of 6% year-on-year, topping Rs 3,000 crore for the first time ever in a quarter, contributing 44% to the total revenue. Revenue from North America was $226 million (about Rs 1,955 crore) supported by traction in differentiated assets. It launched two generic oncology products in the US in the past quarter: nano paclitaxel vials and nilotinib capsules. 'This performance builds on a strong prior year-on-year quarter where we achieved our highest ever US generics revenue,' said Vohra. Meanwhile, the company has signed an agreement to launch its first biosimilar product in the US that is expected in Q2 FY26. 'We will in-license a few assets through partnerships in the near term and maybe launch our own biosimilar assets around 2029-2030,' Vohra said. The company is betting big on GLP-1, which controls sugar levels and appetite, and sees it as a 'significant growth driver for its business.' 'For us the entire GLP 1 category is important rather than looking at individual categories within that. It will shape up in a manner depending on pipeline assets,' said Vohra. Cipla aims to be among the first wave of launchers for the drugs. The company plans to have a hybrid strategy including having its own products as well as through partnerships.


India Today
5 hours ago
- India Today
Viewpoint by Dr Shiv K. Sarin
Every 30 seconds, globally, someone dies from hepatitis-related liver infections—amounting to 1.3 million deaths annually as per WHO 2024 estimates. The Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) alone contributes to nearly 900,000 of these deaths, mostly due to cirrhosis and liver cancer. That's more than malaria, and approaching tuberculosis levels. The virus is carried by an estimated 29 million Indians—the second-highest number globally. And yet, despite having a protective vaccine and effective antivirals for over three decades, we have failed to eliminate it. Why?