India to account for 6 in 10 global heart patients by 2010

A team comprising Indian and Canadian researchers has found that India may account for 60 percent of heart disease cases in world within next two years.

London: A team comprising Indian and Canadian researchers has found that India may account for 60 percent of heart disease cases in world, within the next two years. Researchers suggested that improving the access to treatment can only prevent the condition.

The study which is published in the journal Lancet quoted American cardiologist Kim Eagle, as saying, "As the Indian economy grows, there is a possibility of further increases in cardiovascular disease before we see a decline similar to that being witnessed in developed countries."

Though the risk factors related to heart disease including tobacco use, high levels of lipids in the blood due to diets rich in saturated fat and hypertension were the same in India as elsewhere, the access to health care was poor.

The report also said, “few patients used an ambulance to reach the hospital. Most used private or public transport" due to financial problems. On an average it takes around 300 minutes to reach a hospital, which is double the time taken in rich nations. Also people living in poverty restrain themselves from routine treatments using surgical procedures as it costs them more.

The team of researchers examined around 21,000 heart attack patients admitted in 89 hospitals in 50 cities across India.

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