Leading Neurologist reveals why "sudden deaths" due to heart disease is not a new phenomenon, and why 'appearing healthy' is not always a good sign

A new AIIMS study has stated that Heart Disease is the leading cause of sudden death among people in the age group of 18-45. No longer relegated to an 'old man's disease,' heart disease is now increasingly common in the young as well. Neurologist Dr. Sudhir Kumar recently took to his X handle to reveal that sudden deaths due to heart disease are not a new phenomenon and why it raises concerns.

In his post, he wrote,
"Sudden deaths in the young: Is this something new?
Recent headlines suggest that heart disease is now the leading cause of sudden death in people under 45, even among those who appeared healthy.


Important clarification:
This is not a new phenomenon.
For decades, even in the 1990s and early 2000s, studies have shown that heart disease (especially silent coronary artery disease) was the most common cause of sudden death in young adults. What recent Indian studies have done is reconfirm this with larger, better data, and bring it back into public focus.
“Appeared healthy” often means the disease was undiagnosed, not absent.


Take-home message for the public:
1. Heart disease can be silent, even in the young
2. Lack of symptoms ≠ lack of risk
3. Family history, smoking, diabetes, abnormal cholesterol, obesity, stress and sedentary lifestyle matter
4. Periodic health checks and healthy habits save lives
5. Panic helps no one; prevention does
Awareness, not alarm, is the real message."

Let's see what Dr Kumar's post reveals...

Heart disease can be silent, even in the young
Heart disease is not just an “old person’s problem.” The condition develops gradually in young adults as their arteries start to accumulate plaque, their blood pressure rises, and their body fails to control inflammation. The body shows no warning signs before serious events such as heart attacks or sudden cardiac arrests, which result in no pain and no shortness of breath. People who appear healthy through their appearance, will experience their metabolic process sped up, when they work long hours, consume processed foods, do not sleep well, smoke, and experience elevated stress levels. The damage that occurs inside blood vessels over multiple years remains undetectable to people who have this condition. The reason for early heart risk detection and immediate action becomes essential because being healthy does not protect you from heart problems.

The absence of symptoms is not always a green flag
Feeling fine does not always equal to 'being fine', when it comes to the heart. Many people with high blood pressure, high cholesterol, elevated blood sugar or early artery narrowing, have no symptoms at all for years. Waiting for symptoms before taking heart health seriously therefore means giving the disease a long, silent head start. People should adopt a better method which involves searching for hidden risks through scheduled medical tests, blood pressure checks, and blood tests, instead of depending solely on their daily sensations.

Family history, stress and sedentary lifestyle matter
Heart disease rarely comes from a single cause; it is usually the result of many risk factors adding up over time. Screening tests need to start at an earlier age for people who have the disease in the family, especially those with high BP/chronic stress. Smoking also causes direct damage to blood vessels while accelerating the formation of plaque in arteries. The inside of arteries becomes damaged because of diabetes and abnormal cholesterol levels. People who carry excess body weight primarily in their waist area, tend to develop high blood pressure, fatty liver disease and insulin resistance. On top of this, chronic stress hormones and long hours of sitting, worsen blood sugar, blood pressure and inflammation. The individual elements that pose risks create an exponential increase in overall danger when they combine.

Get tested
Regular health checks function as heart and blood vessel maintenance, which requires scheduled check-ups. Blood pressure measurements along with fasting sugar tests, HbA1c, cholesterol, kidney function assessments and waist circumference measurements help doctors detect warning signs that occur before patients develop any symptoms. The combination of these screening tests with daily practices—which include eating fiber-rich minimally processed foods, doing at least 150 minutes of physical activity per week, not smoking or drinking alcohol, and getting enough sleep—will significantly lower the chances of heart attacks and strokes. The treatment of early artery damage through multiple years of small improvements leads to plaque stability and a decreased risk of rupture. Early detection of problems enables healthcare providers to perform less expensive and more successful treatments, which require minimal intervention.

As Dr. Sudhir says, prevention is better than panic, so stay healthy, but also do not leave anything to chance. Get tested.