The rise in heart attack-related deaths is increasingly being linked to underlying, often undetected cardiovascular conditions. A post-mortem-based study conducted at BJ Medical College, Ahmedabad offers a stark insight: regardless of the officially recorded cause of death, 40 per cent of the deceased had significantly narrowed arteries, a condition caused by advanced atherosclerosis.
This finding points to a widespread prevalence of severe arterial damage that may not have been diagnosed or treated during the individuals’ lifetimes.
The deceased were found to have severely narrowed arteries. The condition was attributed to advanced atherosclerosis. For the uninitiated, atherosclerosis is driven by relentless plaque accumulation made up of cholesterol, fat, and other harmful substances, resulting in the hardening and narrowing of arteries. Blockage in blood flow leads to catastrophic outcomes, fatal heart attacks, strokes, and abrupt, unanticipated death being the chief among them.
Between January and April 2025, researchers collected 131 hearts from the autopsy section, it has been reported. Through due medical protocols, different heart segments were examined to assess pathological conditions. The analysis revealed that 40 samples, accounting for 30 per cent, showed signs of early onset in the form of pathologic intimal thickening (PIT).
Additionally, 58 samples (44 per cent) exhibited dangerous conditions such as thin cap atheroma, fibrous cap atheroma, and calcific nodules, underscoring the sheer scale of undiagnosed arterial damage, according to a media report.
Dr Kamal Sharma, senior faculty at the UN Mehta Institute of Cardiology and Research Centre (UNMICRC), has been quoted saying that fatty streaks in arteries are commonly found in many heart patients, but determining their severity required multiple tests. He cautioned that the figures call for immediate lifestyle changes, regular physical activity, and balanced nutrition.
Dr Sharma said the early onset of severe atherosclerosis in young people must be seen as a red flag.
Other city-based experts did not shy away from stating the blunt reality: plaque formation is a lifelong process. According to Dr Sameer Dani, a senior interventional cardiologist, this buildup begins in the early teen years and persists into old age. He explained that the key causes are an erratic lifestyle, fatty food intake, and physical inactivity, and that both medical and lifestyle interventions are essential when treating such patients.
Dr U R Parikh, one of the study’s authors, pointed out that two-thirds of these cases were observed in men, while the prevalence of PIT in individuals under 40 years stood at 31 per cent. Alarmingly, 15 per cent of those below 40 showed advanced atherosclerosis.
These findings sharply contrasted with a 2013 state-based study, which examined over 200 samples and found the prevalence of PIT in individuals under 40 to be just 10 per cent. The leap in numbers suggests a growing, unchecked health crisis.
The study, titled ‘Coronary Atherosclerosis by Modified American Heart Association Classification – An Autopsy Study’, was authored by Dr SR Parikh, Dr UR Parikh, and Dr HM Goswami from the Department of Pathology at BJ Medical College. It was recently published in the institution’s own journal, BJ Kines – National Journal of Basic and Applied Sciences (NJBAS).
The research revealed that 44% of the total samples had signs of thin cap atheroma, fibrous cap atheroma, and calcific nodules—all conditions associated with advanced arterial damage.
Dr Jay Shah, an interventional cardiologist, has been quoted saying that a decade ago, medical intervention at age 45 was considered early, but now this threshold has dropped to 35 years, given the sharp rise in under-40 cases. He clarified that not all fat deposits in arteries are dangerous, but once the deposits calcify and restrict or block blood flow, the heart can be thrown into arrhythmia or irregular heartbeat, which may lead to sudden death.
Experts further warned that atherosclerosis doesn’t only lead to heart attacks from restricted blood flow—it can also cause instant cardiac arrest if the plaque ruptures or breaks loose, suddenly and fatally blocking the artery. The victim often has no prior symptoms, making the death seem sudden and unexplainable.
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