World Heart Day 2016: Five things you should know about heart disease in India!

Zee Media Bureau

New Delhi: India, along with other nations from across the world, is celebrating 'World Heart Day' on Thursday September 29.

The aim of the World Heart Day is to encourage people to live heart-healthy lives. A healthy heart means a longer, better, and happier life.

The fact is that coronary heart disease is preventable and every man and woman has the power to lower their risk risk by following a heart-healthy lifestyle. Heart-healthy lifestyle changes include:

• Heart-healthy eating
• Maintaining a healthy weight
• Managing stress
• Physical activity
• Not smoking or quitting smoking

This World Heart Day, we bring you some key facts as well as the changing trends of heart disease in India.

• As per reports, out of the estimated population of more than 1.27 billion, about 45 million people suffer from coronary artery disease in India.
• Current estimates suggest India will soon have the highest number of cases of cardiovascular disease in the world. By 2030, India is estimated to account for 35.9% deaths.
• Heart diseases, which was considered to be the disease of late middle age and old age, has affected the young Indian population 10 years ahead of their Western counterparts (10.5% from urban areas and 6% from the rural areas as compared to youngsters in western countries with about 3-4% rise in the disease) over the last three decades owing to sedentary lifestyles and lack of exercise. 
• About 50.8 million Indians suffer from diabetes, which is a very serious risk factor for heart disease and stroke.
• Apart from diabetes, high blood pressure which increases your risk of stroke, heart attack, kidney failure and heart failure, has also seen a steady rise over the last five decades. It is estimated that about 25-30% of urban Indians have hypertension, whereas in rural areas, the trend is at 10-15%.

Obesity is a major risk for cardiovascular disease, making you susceptible to diabetes. Physical inactivity increases the risk of heart disease and stroke by 50%.