Younger hearts at risk: Understanding the need for earlier cardiovascular risk assessment | India News

In India, one of the most urgent of health challenges facing our future, is the growing epidemic of cardiovascular disease. Alarmingly, Indians suffer from heart attacks nearly a decade earlier than many Western countries.1 This disturbing trend underscores the need for a far more aggressive and India-specific approach to managing cardiovascular risk.Several factors contribute to this heightened vulnerability. South Asians carry a well-recognised genetic predisposition to cardiovascular disease. When this inherent risk interacts with abdominal obesity, sedentary lifestyles, dietary choices, social habits like smoking & alcohol consumption and the rapidly rising prevalence of diabetes, hypertension, and metabolic syndrome, it creates a perfect storm for premature heart disease. Metabolic dysfunction associated with fatty liver disease, closely linked to insulin resistance, is another contributor. At the centre of this crisis lies Atherogenic Dyslipidemia, a lipid abnormality frequently seen among Indians. It is characterised by elevated triglycerides, reduced levels of protective HDL cholesterol, and the presence of small dense LDL particles. What makes this condition particularly deceptive is that traditional LDL cholesterol levels may appear near normal, even as cardiovascular risk silently continues to escalate.Recognising this epidemic of heart disease, the Lipid Association of India (LAI) released updated consensus guidelines in 2023 recommending more aggressive LDL cholesterol targets for Indian patients.2 According to these recommendations, individuals at high cardiovascular risk should aim for LDL cholesterol levels below 70 mg/dL, those at very high risk should target levels below 50 mg/dL, and patients at extreme risk—such as those with recurrent cardiovascular events—should strive for levels below 30 mg/dL. It has been the global pioneer in recommending aggressive LDL lowering targets since 2016 (consensus guidelines part 1).The LAI guidelines also emphasise the importance of detecting risk early in life. They recommend that young adults undergo an extended lipid profile—including Apolipoprotein B (Apo B) and Lipoprotein(a)—as early as their college years. ApoB reflects the total number of harmful lipoprotein particles circulating in the bloodstream and is increasingly recognised as an accurate indicator of cardiovascular risk. Lipoprotein(a), on the other hand, is a genetically determined lipid particle that significantly increases the risk of heart attack and stroke, particularly among South Asians.Advanced imaging is also playing an expanding role in refining cardiovascular risk assessment. In selected individuals, CT coronary angiography and coronary calcium scoring can identify early plaque buildup in the arteries, allowing clinicians to intervene before symptoms develop.Importantly, the LAI recommendations acknowledge that cardiovascular risk extends beyond traditional factors. Several conditions can modify or amplify risk, including inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and psoriasis, chronic infections like HIV, and environmental exposures such as air pollution. Women’s health conditions—including premature menopause, polycystic ovarian syndrome(PCOS), pre eclampsia and gestational diabetes—are also increasingly recognised as important markers of future cardiovascular risk.One of the most critical messages emerging from modern cardiovascular science is that heart disease begins far earlier than most people realise. Atherosclerosis—the gradual buildup of fatty plaque within the arteries—can begin silently in childhood. Over decades, exposure to elevated cholesterol levels damages the arterial walls, eventually leading to heart attacks and strokes. The longer the exposure, the greater the cumulative risk.This concept of “cholesterol burden over time” has reshaped the global conversation on prevention. Waiting until middle age to begin screening or treatment means losing valuable decades when early intervention could have dramatically altered the trajectory of disease. For a country like India, where cardiovascular events occur earlier and often in the most productive years of life, preventive strategies must begin far sooner.Interestingly, evolving global thinking now aligns with the approach advocated by the Lipid Association of India in 2023. Emerging recommendations from the American Heart Association and American College of Cardiology3 are moving toward LDL targets of less than 55 mg/dl for individuals at very high cardiovascular risk. However, India’s guidelines go a step further by recognising the uniquely high-risk profile of South Asians and by advocating earlier screening, comprehensive lipid testing, cardiovascular risk assessment and more proactive intervention.Today, message for India is clear. Cardiovascular prevention cannot wait until symptoms appear or until middle age arrives. By recognising the earlier onset of disease in Indians and advocating deeper risk assessment and lower cholesterol targets, the Lipid Association of India guidelines represent an important step toward protecting the health of a young nation.The pledge we must make today is simple yet powerful: test early, identify risk early, and act early. Because when it comes to heart disease, prevention begun decades sooner may be the most powerful treatment of all.– By Dr. Rashida Patanwala Melinkeri Sr. Consultant, Internal Medicine & Lipid ExpertMember – Lipid Association Of IndiaKEM Hospital & Lipid Clinic, PuneReferences

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