World Heart Day 2018: India could lose $4.8 trillion in economic output by 2030 due to cardiovascular disease

One in four Indians suffer from a non-communicable disease, a 2017 report revealed. This year, on occasion of World Heart Day, a report published in Lancet highlights the rising disease burden of cardiovascular diseases in India. The study stated there has been 50% rise in CVDs among Indians.

Speaking to DNA, Dr Dev Pahlajani, Interventional Cardiologist, Breach Candy Hospital, Mumbai, addressed the problems faced in India, the difference between heart failure and a heart attack, and whether cardiovascular disease problems will increase or decrease in future.

Non-communicable diseases have become an integral part of Indian society, even among poorer sections of society? How is prevention managed here?

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) like cardiovascular diseases, cancer, diabetes, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disorder (COPD) and mental illnesses, have taken a toll on Indians in the last couple of decades. The National NCD Monitoring Framework outlines 21 indicators and 10 targets for the prevention and control of NCDs. The specified indicators and targets will be used to track progress of actions designed to prevent and control NCDs until 2025, in India. Key preventive measures include:

1. Public awareness about the symptoms of NCDs, maintaining a healthy diet and active lifestyle

2. Screening at primary healthcare centres for early signs and symptoms of NCDs like Diabetes, Hypertension and Common Cancers

3. Ban and reduction on tobacco consumption – chewing as well as smoking

There are several factors that cause heart failure. What are the preventive measures to ensure it doesn't become a heart attack?

Heart failure is a progressive condition in which the heart muscle becomes weak or stiffens over time and is unable to effectively pump blood across the body. There is no single cause of heart failure and it can occur due to multiple reasons. Common reasons leading to heart failure are blocked arteries, heart attack, cardiomyopathy (damage to the heart muscles from infections or alcohol or drug abuse), or conditions that overwork and thus damage the heart like diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity, kidney disease or thyroid malfunction. A prior heart attack can lead to heart failure but not always.

The report says heart failure costs $108 billion every year across the world. What are the numbers in India?

In a country like India, we face a serious challenge when it comes to disease-related epidemiological data. Currently, there are 8-10 million heart failure patients in India, but there isn’t any data available on the associated economic burden.

According to the United Nations and the World Health Organization, the burden of NCDs would cost India US$6.2 trillion during the period 2012-2030. In another report by the World Economic Forum and the Harvard School of Public Health, it is estimated that India could lose US$4.8 trillion in lost economic output by 2030 due to NCDs.

Also, how does a poor person understand whether s/he is a potential heart patient?

Heart diseases can be a result of multiple reasons – genetic, risk factors like other chronic diseases (diabetes, hypertension, cholesterol, obesity) and poor lifestyle. Regardless of the economic background, the key to understand the potential risk of heart diseases is to pay close attention to one’s lifestyle and ensure any early symptoms are not ignored. It is also important to get yourself checked regularly after 30 years of age.

Do you see the number of patients wrt to non-communicable diseases increasing or decreasing in India? How do we rectify this if the number is increasing?

The NCD burden in India is expected to increase in the coming years. Factors like urbanization and lifestyle changes have and will continue contributing to the unprecedented health transition in India. Increased air pollution, tobacco use, alcohol consumption, drug usage, unhealthy diet, sedentary lifestyle, high blood pressure and obesity are primary causes of NCDs.

The only way to rectify this is the coming together of all stakeholders from the healthcare community to work towards raising public awareness and putting a mechanism for early screening in place.

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Breach Candy Hospital