Ritu Sejwal retweetledi
The untimely passing of Jaspal Rana is a stark reminder that heart disease does not always fit the profile we expect.
An Arjuna Awardee, champion shooter, coach, and a symbol of discipline and peak performance, he was someone many would consider the picture of health.
Yet, for several days, the warning signs were present but easy to dismiss. By the time medical attention was sought, a major coronary artery was completely blocked.
His story highlights an important reality: heart disease is often silent until it is not.
For decades, we associated serious cardiac events with age, inactivity, or visibly poor health. Today, that assumption no longer holds true. Across India and around the world, we are seeing an increasing number of heart attacks and significant coronary artery disease in people in their 30s, 40s and 50s including individuals who are active, productive, and outwardly healthy.
At @HospitalsApollo , we are witnessing this shift firsthand.
What concerns me most is that many of these conditions are detectable long before they become life-threatening. Elevated cholesterol, diabetes, hypertension, arterial calcification, and early coronary artery disease can remain unnoticed for years unless we actively look for them.
A routine health assessment can reveal risks that the body may not yet be showing. Regular screening, risk profiling, and timely intervention remain some of the most powerful tools we have in modern medicine.
Equally important is listening to your body. Unexplained chest discomfort, breathlessness during exertion, unusual fatigue, pain in the shoulder, arm, neck, or jaw, or symptoms that consistently appear with activity and improve with rest should never be ignored.
As healthcare professionals, we often say that prevention is better than cure. But today, prevention is far more than a slogan it is our best opportunity to save lives.
The most successful treatment is often the one that prevents a medical emergency from ever occurring.
Let us honour stories like these not only with condolences, but with action. Schedule your health check-up. Know your risk factors. Encourage your family members to do the same.
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