STRESS PLAYS A VITAL ROLE IN HEART DISEASES

IF a family has a history of heart disease, it is best to tell 

children about the importance of a healthy lifestyle, eating 

right and staying physically active.

Among adults over 20 years of age, the estimated prevalence

 of coronary heart disease is around 3-4% in rural areas and 

8-10% in urban areas, representing a two-fold rise in rural 

areas and a six-fold rise in urban areas between the years 

1960 and 2000.

The reasons are not too difficult to find. Earlier it was thought 

that the Indian gene is the main cause for the epidemic of 

heart diseases, but new research suggests that stress play a 

very big role. Urban Indians have high levels of stress and low 

levels of physical activity. The Indian diet has drastically 

changed. All these are contributing to a higher incidence of 

heart disease among Indians.

The only silver lining is that with regular monitoring of 

cholesterol, blood sugar, hypertension and an annual stress 

test, people should be able to catch any discrepancy. This 

regular monitoring would ensure that in 80-90% of the cases, 

any heart problem is noticed at the earliest.