Heart disease threatens to wipe out Bangalore’s millennials

More than two million years of working life have been wiped from Bangalore’s population in three years thanks to heart disease.

Accounting for more than 40 percent of all deaths in India’s third most populous city between 2010 and 2012, cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are threatening the city’s economy according to research by Coventry University.

With heart disease globally more prevalent in Indian and Pakistani men, regardless of where they live or are born, the research demonstrates the dramatic affect that CVDs can have on populations.

Researcher Dr Anitha Chinnaswamy, from the university’s Centre for Business in Society, looked at the impact of the diseases on life expectancy and productivity in the city.

Figures from deaths in Bangalore show that half of all CVD deaths affected the under 70s, particularly those aged 55-64. During the three-year period studied, deaths from heart disease and strokes removed 2.1 million of potential years from the population.

With the city set to boast the youngest population in the world, with more than half of people under the age of 25 by 2021, the impact of the diseases is set to hit future generations of workers.

Continuing to work closely with several government agencies, Anitha is hoping to raise awareness of the causes of heart conditions in order to reduce their impact on the population.

With further research into the causes of CVD within the city, she also plans to continue her work with other developing countries to raise awareness of causes and interventions in order to globally reduce mortality rates.

General causes of CVD are:

• Poor diet, which can lead to diabetes
• Lack of exercise
• Smoking
• Air pollution

Dr Anitha Chinnaswamy said:

Cardiovascular diseases are largely preventable and globally they are responsible for 30 percent of all deaths, but the rate is higher in Bangalore and is set to have a greater impact on the local economy.

“As Indians we are more prone to heart disease than any other ethnicity, as research from the US and UK has shown, so I’m not surprised by the high levels as we can’t change our genes, but I am hoping to help developing nations to understand the risks and help prevent early deaths.

“Diabetes, which is one of the risk factors for heart disease, is highly prevalent in Indian communities, so much so that I believe it is like the common cold – largely preventable but widespread.”

For further press information, please contact Kelly Baker-Adams, Coventry University, on 02477659752 or email kelly.baker-adams@coventry.ac.uk.

Notes to editors:

• The total deaths over the years 2010-2013 were 86,818, of which 33,075 deaths were due to CVD, and 53,743 deaths were due to other causes.

• In 2010 the British Heart Foundation published research, Ethnic Differences in Cardiovascular Disease, which highlighted that the prevalence of heart disease is highest in Indian and Pakistani men.