logo
Early onset of cardiac issues a pointer to lifestyle changes, lack of physical activity: Ravindranath

Early onset of cardiac issues a pointer to lifestyle changes, lack of physical activity: Ravindranath

The Hindu4 days ago
The early onset of cardiac issues among the youth is an indicator of lifestyle changes including food and absence of physical activity, which are a matter of concern, said K.S. Ravindranath of Sri Jayadeva Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences and Research here on Sunday.
He was speaking at an event organised by the Ursu Jagrathi Academy Charitable Trust in Mysuru on Sunday, marking Doctors' Day.
Dr. Ravindranath said nearly 60 to 70% of deaths are due to non-communicable diseases (NCDs), of which heart-related ailments account for nearly 25%.
He pointed out that these are largely the result of lifestyle changes — sedentary habits, poor dietary choices, increased intake of red meat, processed and junk food, and reduced physical activity, even among children, said Dr. Ravindranath.
He said that in contrast to earlier generations who lived well into their 80s, today's generation is battling obesity, hypertension, and diabetes at much younger ages. Many people are unaware they have high blood pressure or sugar, and these are silent killers, he cautioned and urged those in the age group of 30 to 40 to undergo medical check-ups periodically.
Dr. Ravindranath expressed concern over rising substance abuse, including smoking and ganja consumption, as well as increasing psychological stress and environmental pollution, all of which are taking a toll on public health.
On the challenges faced by the medical community, he expressed concern over attack on the medical fraternity. 'Doctors dedicate their prime years to study and service, often at the cost of family time. Society places immense trust in doctors, but we are sometimes unable to save lives when patients are brought in critical condition. This has led to unfortunate instances of violence against doctors and hospitals, which should stop,' he said.
While noting that laws have been enacted to protect medical professionals from such assaults, he also flagged shortage of personnel and inadequate infrastructure in rural areas as pressing concerns. 'Despite constraints, many doctors continue to serve in rural and taluk-level hospitals,' he said.
Six doctors were felicitated on the occasion for their outstanding service in the medical field and presented with 'Vaidyashree' awards. They are Jayaprakash Narayan of Bengaluru, and five others from Mysuru, Rajashekar, Rajeshwari, S. Kumar Raj Urs, Kavitawadi, and P. Shastar.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Expert committee to submit report on Hassan heart attack cases today
Expert committee to submit report on Hassan heart attack cases today

The Hindu

time13 hours ago

  • The Hindu

Expert committee to submit report on Hassan heart attack cases today

The expert committee headed by K.S. Ravindranath, director of Sri Jayadeva Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences and Research that was also entrusted with the task of studying the reported rise in sudden heart attack deaths in Hassan district is all set to submit its report to the Health Minister on Thursday, July 10. Amid mounting public anxiety over the rising trend of sudden cardiovascular events (heart attack, sudden cardiac death) post-COVID-19 pandemic, the Karnataka government had in February this year set up an expert committee headed by Dr. Ravindranath to evaluate the temporal and potential causal links with prior SARS-CoV-2 infection and/or COVID-19 vaccination. The committee has not found any association between premature cardiovascular disease and a prior history of COVID-19 infection or COVID vaccination. With regard to the reported deaths in Hassan district, the same committee, comprising senior cardiologists, public health experts, epidemiologists and officials from Hassan district, was given ten days to investigate and submit a report. Dr. Ravindranath told The Hindu that the committee has completed its field visits, data collection and verbal autopsies of the families over the past nine days. 'We are looking at outlining the possible causes behind the reported rise in the deaths - including lifestyle factors, post-COVID health issues, access to timely medical care, and environmental or occupational risks. So far, we have not found any conclusive results that point towards a single cause,' he said. 'We have collected and studied the treatment details including available post-mortem reports of the deceased. Out of the 22 deceased during May-June in the district, only eight have undergone post-mortem. Hence, we are depending on verbal autopsies,' he added.

Heart attacks are not caused by COVID-19 vaccine, avoid unnecessary fear: Minister
Heart attacks are not caused by COVID-19 vaccine, avoid unnecessary fear: Minister

The Hindu

time15 hours ago

  • The Hindu

Heart attacks are not caused by COVID-19 vaccine, avoid unnecessary fear: Minister

Medical Education Minister Sharanprakash Patil has said that there is no evidence to back the claim that COVID-19 vaccine causes sudden cardiac deaths and urged people not to panic over the recent reports of deaths due to cardiac arrest. He was addressing media persons after inaugurating a free heart check-up camp for journalists in Kalaburagi organised by the district unit of Karnataka Union of Working Journalists (KUWJ) in association with Sri Jayadeva Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences and Research (SJICSR) here on Wednesday. Dr. Patil reiterated that a study by the Indian Council of Medical Research has confirmed that there is no link between increasing sudden deaths in young adults with the vaccine. Even the expert committee set up by the State government to study the exact cause of increasing cardiac-related deaths has found no link with vaccination. Dr. Patil suggested that journalists, due to the high-stress nature of their profession, should prioritize regular cardiac check-ups. He also advised journalists to adopt a healthy lifestyle by following a balanced diet, regular exercise and mindfulness practices like yoga and meditation, while avoiding tobacco, smoking and excessive alcohol consumption. Cardiologist in the Kalaburagi branch of Jayadeva Hospital Veeresh Patil Hebbal said that maintaining a healthy heart is crucial for the overall well-being of individual and longevity. He clarified that not all heart-related chest pain is due to blockages in the arteries. KUWJ district president Baburao Yadrami thanked the Minister for taking the initiative to organise a cardiac check-up camp for journalists. Nearly 600 media persons including office staff of both print and electronic media, are expected to benefit from the camp at Jayadeva Hospital. The camp will be conducted on Saturdays and Sundays for the next six weeks with 50 OPD slots every day.

How Karnataka plans to get to the heart of cardiac deaths striking the young
How Karnataka plans to get to the heart of cardiac deaths striking the young

India Today

time16 hours ago

  • India Today

How Karnataka plans to get to the heart of cardiac deaths striking the young

A study by a panel of experts constituted by the Karnataka government on sudden cardiac arrest deaths among young adults has recommended a multifaceted strategy of augmented screening, surveillance and awareness campaigns to tackle the growing public health challenge. Among the suggested measures is an autopsy-based reporting and registry for unexplained deaths in this February, the state government had commissioned a report by experts from leading institutions to guide Karnataka's health policy, especially on the rising trend of sudden cardiovascular events after the Covid-19 pandemic and whether Covid vaccines could have any adverse health 12-member panel, headed by Dr K.S. Ravindranath, director of Sri Jayadeva Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences and Research in Bengaluru, also carried out a pilot observational study of patients, aged below 45, admitted to the institute between April 1 and May 31, 2025. A total of 251 patients were studied—219 men and 32 women.'There is no single cause behind the observed rise in sudden cardiac deaths. Rather, it appears to be a multifactorial issue, with behavioural, genetic and environmental risks,' the report observed. It did not find any association between premature cardiovascular disease and a prior history of Covid-19 infection or Covid vaccination. 'The report found that Covid vaccines were not a factor,' said health minister Dinesh Gundu Rao at a media conference on July 7, adding that vaccination had, on the contrary, been debate over Covid vaccines has been in the news in the past week after chief minister Siddaramaiah's comment—in the context of 20 deaths in Hassan district alone over the past month—that 'hasty approval and distribution of the Covid vaccine could also be a reason'. The remark had drawn criticism from several quarters, notably biotech industry veteran Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw. She pointed out that the word 'hasty' was inappropriate since the vaccines developed in India were approved under an Emergency Use Authorisation Karnataka panel observed that current data did not support the belief that 'Long Covid' was responsible for the rise in sudden cardiovascular events among the young. Rather, it suggested that a rise in the prevalence of common risk factors that lead to cardiovascular disease, such as hypertension, diabetes, smoking, dyslipidemia or high cholesterol, was the best explanation for the rise in sudden cardiovascular events.'Based on the recommendation, we have decided that sudden deaths outside hospitals should be declared as a notifiable disease,' said Rao, adding that autopsies in such cases will be made mandatory. The minister informed that the health department will also extend its ongoing scheme for emergency care, called Puneeth Rajkumar Hrudaya Jyoti scheme, to all taluk-level a popular Kannada actor, died in October 2021 at the age of 46. He had suffered a heart attack, apparently after a gym workout. His sudden death had headlined the rising concern about cardiac fatalities striking young scheme, under which 750,000 patients have been screened since November 2023, is designed on a hub-and-spoke model and currently connects as many as 86 district and taluk hospitals to super-speciality hospitals. Alongside, Rao said, an initiative to install automated external defibrillator (AED) devices in public places will be taken up, depending on the availability of trained are portable electronic devices used to handle life-threatening cardiac health department also plans to ramp up awareness campaigns and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training programmes besides taking up annual basic health screening for government employees and for school students aged 15 and to India Today Magazine- EndsMust Watch

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store