According to a cardiologist at the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NIVCD), about 50% of heart attack patients in Pakistan are under 49 years of age, while 15% of patients are under 40 years of age.

Experts warned that heart attacks are increasing rapidly among young people, the main causes of which are diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity, smoking and an unhealthy lifestyle.

Dr. Abdul Hakeem, Director of the Cath Lab at the NIVCD, said that Pakistan is the country with the highest number of young heart attack patients in the world. One-third of adults suffer from diabetes, 40% suffer from high blood pressure, obesity is common and smoking is also widespread.

He said that many people remain unaware of their disease because weight gain is not visible due to loose clothes. After the age of 30, everyone should get a heart check-up.

He also said that 90 percent of patients feel symptoms like heaviness or acidity instead of traditional chest pain, which delays diagnosis. If you feel heaviness in the chest while walking or climbing stairs, get an ECG done immediately, because an anterior heart attack can damage 60 percent of the heart muscle and the risk of stroke increases due to the formation of a blood clot within a few weeks.