Diabetes, heart attacks on the rise among youth, warn experts

SRINAGAR: Medical experts have highlighted the concerns over the increasing occurrence of diabetes among young individuals, warning that it contributes to cardiac diseases and early deaths.

In an extended study on diabetes and heart attack risk, which was conducted between the years 2000 and 2020, over 509,000 people were examined. Out of them, more than 1,000 young patients diagnosed with early-onset diabetes later developed acute heart problems.

The study found that heart diseases are now the leading cause of death in Jammu and Kashmir, mainly among people aged 25 to 69 years.

Experts link this concerning trend to the deficiency of insulin, unhealthy diets, smoking, fast food consumption, and obesity.

According to Dr. Khalid Mohiuddin, Head of Cardiology at Government Medical College Srinagar, high blood sugar causes damage to the nervous system, leading to diseases linked to kidney and heart.

Dr. Khalid Mohiuddin emphasised the need to give priority to controlling diabetes, particularly in Kashmir, where the fast-spreading disease is coronary artery disease (CAD).

In recent years, the cause of more than 30 individuals to die in Kashmir has been due to heart attacks, especially among young people, as they had diabetes and heart attack risk which was not controlled.

As per the medical experts, the problems are worsening due to changing dietary habits, reduced physical activity, and rising obesity levels.

Earlier, heart attacks were found commonly among older adults, but now individuals as young as 30 to 40 years are being affected.

Health professionals urge the public to adopt healthier lifestyles, including balanced diets, regular exercise, and avoiding smoking, to mitigate the diabetes and heart attack risk.

American teens are increasingly turning to the weight-loss drug Wegovy as more families and their doctors gain confidence in its use for young people with obesity, new data shared with Reuters shows.

The average rate of teens beginning treatment with the highly effective Novo Nordisk drug grew 50% last year to 14.8 prescriptions per 100,000 adolescents, according to an analysis by health data firm Truveta.