the sudden death of kannada actor puneeth rajkumar and the untimely demise of singer kk have sounded a warning about the increasing cases of heart attacks or myocardial infarction mi cardiologist dr rhishikesh umalkar has been working on different aspects of mi for years he has even presented several papers on the subject in an interview with toi he shares his views about how to get back on the right pathexcerptsq what inspired you to choose young age heart attacks as a subjecta there is an alarming rise in the number of young patients with heart attacks the number has increased by approximately 35 according to cardiologists around the world when we used to study medicine our books used to mention that the indian population will suffer from heart attacks at a younger age than their western counterparts after decades this statement mentioned in medical books has now become a harsh reality as a fraternity i always used to think what we can do something to prevent thisq dont you think this subject comes into the limelight only after some celebrity dies of a heart attacka unfortunately yes people and the media too start discussions and forums on young age heart attacks once some known face dies of it at once people start visiting cardiologists and conduct routine checkups some of them start exercising gymming cycling and swimming as public memory is very short we forget everything within a few weeks but this issue is a harsh reality of the present generationq whats your message to people at largea first and foremost its important to bust the myth that im too young to get a heart attack remember age is no criteria to suffer an attack we need to understand that an adult as young as 20 years of age can also be susceptible acceptance of this fact is the key to prevention and better outcomeq what is the reason behind the increasing number of youngsters suffering heart attacksa changed lifestyle is the major reason for this agerelated shift in heart attacks our stress levels have increased significantly smoking or chewing tobacco is another reason the problem is that we know the triggering factors but we not ready to accept them lifestyle modification plays an important role in improving the situation healthy dietary habits and moderate physical activity can do wonders awareness regarding stress management is also important one should give up smoking or tobacco chewing we know all this but how many of us follow itq what kind of acceptance do you wish to see in the young populationa its a time to accept the fact that heart attacks can occur at any age this is the first step towards finding solutions ignorance is not bliss when it comes to heart attacks in fact even the mildest form of chest pain should not be taken lightly a heart attack may not necessarily accompany chest pain sometimes symptoms such as excessing sweating gastric trouble jaw pain left arm pain dyspnoea