Tiny hearts, big cardiac concern in India

She and her team took the boy to a nearby hospital for an echocardiogram. The results revealed a serious congenital defect - an 18 mm hole in his heart. Also Read: No cholesterol, no diabetes, other test reports normal: 5,000 heart attack cases in India reveal surprising findings in 'healthy' Indians "After securing his parents' consent, he was operated with the button technique (in which a small device resembling a button is fixed)," Ijardar said. She added that a delay in diagnosis could have made the surgery far more complicated. Arman's case is among several identified under a mass screening programme of schoolchildren across Raipur district in Chhattisgarh over the past nine months. The initiative, called Project Dhadkan, has detected more than 100 children with congenital heart defects. Of these, about 30 were eligible for corrective surgery, and 16 have already undergone procedures so far, officials and doctors said. The findings point to a wider concern: from birth to gym floors, hundreds of thousands of Indians may carry hidden heart risks. Cardiovascular surgeon and chairman of Medanta, Naresh Trehan said 1-2% of children in India are born with heart defects. "So, the number of such cases is large, but if detected early they are absolutely treatable. These children can grow up and lead completely normal lives." Estimates suggest more than 200,000 children in India are born each year with congenital heart disease (CHD), making it one of the leading causes of birth defects. Trehan said many cases remain undiagnosed, particularly among children from economically weaker families with limited access to early screening. Also Read: India’s urban health alarm: One in five at early heart risk, 25% face respiratory threat The consequences of these hidden conditions may surface years later. Dr Preeti Narayan, nodal doctor of the Raipur project, said undetected heart defects could be linked to a worrying trend that has increasingly surfaced in recent years - young people collapsing suddenly in gyms or even while dancing. Trehan said sudden cardiac arrests in seemingly fit young adults are often triggered by underlying heart conditions that go unnoticed for years, sometimes combined with intense exertion. "Also, those having a family history of heart problems should necessarily undertake preventive check-up before they turn 25," he said. Gaurav Kumar Singh, district magistrate of Raipur, said the screening programme and subsequent surgeries at Sathya Sai Sanjeevani Child Heart Hospital in New Raipur are being provided free of cost. "The idea behind this initiative is simple - kisi bachche ki dil ki dhadkan rukni nahi chahiye (no child's heartbeat should stop) due to lack of awareness or treatment," Singh said. With more than 800 districts across India, experts said wider screening of children could reveal the true scale of congenital heart defects and help detect cases before they turn into life-threatening emergencies. (Catch all the Business News, Breaking News and Latest News Updates on The Economic Times.) Subscribe to The Economic Times Prime and read the ET ePaper online. (Catch all the Business News, Breaking News and Latest News Updates on The Economic Times.) Subscribe to The Economic Times Prime and read the ET ePaper online.