MATTERS OF THE HEART
DR ARUN K. CHOPRA 50, Director, Cardiology, Fortis Escorts Hospital, Amritsar
Maintaining a healthy heart seems to be the need of the hour, according to Dr Chopra. With over 25 years experience in the industry, the doctor informs that the number of old as well as young people needing angiography, angioplasty or bypass surgery is consistently on the rise.
Blame it on Stress The usual culprits — an unhealthy lifestyle, lack of exercise, junk food, and odd sleeping hours are making more youngsters approach heart specialists, Dr Chopra says.
“Whenever anyone hears of a cardiac arrest, people in the similar age group or risk profile want to undergo a check-up. This awareness helps in averting further damage."
The Mathematics Refuting what many health magazines and television programmes seem to suggest, the doctor clarifies, “The number of patients visiting our hospital for consultation has been rising, and this includes people both past 40 and younger. The number of young people with heart attacks or chest pain is definitely rising, but so is the number of older people suffering from heart disease,” he says. Keep your Heart Beating Dr Chopra suggests a series of measures including relatively regular sleep hours, a good nutritious diet, avoiding smoking and excess alcohol or other intoxicants, and regular exercise. “Attention should be paid to maintaining an ideal body weight, and ascertaining optimum blood pressure, blood sugar and serum cholesterol levels. Regular tests should be a practice after crossing the age of 30,” he says.