'30 is no longer too young for a heart attack'

Mohamed Nawabjan is 29 years young but, in July this year, he suddenly felt a sharp radiating pain in his left arm. He had a heart attack.
Though Nawabjan led an active lifestyle and maintained a normal weight, he was a chronic smoker who puffed around 15 cigarettes a day.
Dr Paul Stanley, interventional cardiology consultant at NMC Speciality Hospital Abu Dhabi, said: "Despite having normal weight, active lifestyle and young age - all considered to be important to save one's heart - Mohamed was a chronic smoker having 15 cigarettes a day for the last decade and a half. He also has a family history of diabetes."
Studies have revealed that in young, seemingly healthy individuals, the heart attacks are considered to be more fatal as they occur in a larger area of heart.
Hence, in Nawabjan's case, an emergency primary angioplasty had to be done during an ongoing attack.
"Using a thrombectomy device, we sucked out the thrombus (clot) and gave him the blood clot breaking medicine, so the artery opened up within an hour of his arrival to the hospital, thus saving his life," said Dr Stanley.
After such a narrow escape, the young man - who is a father to two little girls aged four and one ­- quit smoking for good.
Experts said that among the leading causes of heart disease is obesity, which is also linked to diabetes and high cholesterol. With the UAE population prone to obesity because of a genetic component, patients in their 20s were found having heart attacks. Studies reveal that in the country, the risk of heart disease risk starts 10 years earlier than those in Western countries.
Another cardiologist cited the case of a 27-year-old heart patient as an example. Dr Carl B. Kapadia, consultant interventional cardiologist at NMC Royal Hospital, Khalifa City, Abu Dhabi, said: "The young man came with a past medical history notable for obesity, cigarette smoking and family history of premature heart disease. He had not seen a healthcare provider in years, resulting in an undiagnosed hypertension, hyperlipidemia and prediabetes.His mother had passed away from a heart attack at age 52. Despite that, he continued with poor lifestyle habits."
saman@khaleejtimes.com