Even healthy people can experience heart rate disturbances, a study has revealed. Indian researchers examined samples from 1,029 self-proclaimed healthy individuals. Genome sequencing revealed that 1% of these individuals harbored distinct variants of cardiac channelopathy, directly affecting their heart rate.
According to the researchers, cardiac channelopathy is caused by genetic abnormalities in heart cell proteins that regulate heart electrical activity and can, therefore, cause heart rate disturbances. In this study, published in the medical journal Human Genomics, researchers suspect that approximately 1% of India’s self-proclaimed healthy individuals are at risk for cardiac channelopathy.
These are the reasons:
Doctors say that lack of awareness, deteriorating lifestyles, addiction, and lack of exercise are the main causes. However, this study by researchers focuses on a genetic condition in which healthy people are unaware that their heart rate is being affected. 470 variants were identified that increase the risk of cardiac arrest.
What the data say:
Researchers at CSIR-IGIB in New Delhi began examining variants in 36 cardiac channelopathy genes in 1,029 people, which can be linked to cardiac arrest. The researchers reported that the analysis revealed 186,782 variants, of which 470 were identified. Approximately 26% (124 of these 470) were new, as no other data or reports exist on these variants globally.
Large-Scale Study Needed
The study’s lead researchers, Dr. Vinod Skaria and Dr. Sridhar Shibashubu, stated that such studies should be conducted on a large scale in the Indian population to help inform policymaking and other aspects for this larger group.
250,000 Heart Attack Deaths in 10 Years
Millions of people in India are suffering from heart disease every year. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), approximately 250,000 people have died from heart attacks in India in the last 10 years. Many of these cases were between the ages of 30 and 40. Data from the Union Health Ministry shows that 21,914 people died from heart attacks in 2016, 23,249 in 2017, 25,764 in 2018, and 28,005 in 2019.