Karnataka: No alarming rise in heart attack deaths, expert panel confirms

An expert panel in Karnataka found no unusual surge in heart attack deaths in Hassan district, confirming only 10 of 24 recent deaths as heart attacks. Most victims had lifestyle risk factors; statewide data shows stable trends.

Bengaluru: An expert committee led by cardiologist Dr KS Ravindranath has concluded that Hassan district has not experienced an abnormal surge in heart‑attack fatalities this monsoon season, though a worrisome share of victims were under 40. The panel’s report, submitted on Thursday to Health Minister Dinesh Gundurao, analysed 24 sudden deaths recorded in May–June.

Key findings from the expert report 

• Only 20 of 24 deaths were cardiac‑related.
• Ten were confirmed heart attacks; ten remain “probable” cardiac deaths.
• More than 75 % of victims had major risk factors (smoking, alcohol, obesity, diabetes or hypertension).
• No significant year‑on‑year rise: 20 cardiac deaths in May–June 2025 versus 19 in the same period of 2024.

Younger victims raise red flags 

Six of the confirmed heart‑attack deaths were aged 19–38. Many had never undergone routine cardiac screening, and four died silently in their sleep.

Heart attack trends show no alarming rise in 2025 

From January to June 2025, Hassan district recorded a steady number of cardiac deaths each month: 11 in January, 10 in February, 10 in March, 9 in April, 9 in May, and 11 in June. During the same period, Bengaluru alone reported a high volume of hospitalised heart-attack cases: 2,165 in January, 1,931 in February, 2,047 in March, 2,026 in April, 1,971 in May, and 1,917 in June. The case-fatality rate across the state for these months stood at 5.60%, which is slightly lower than the 6.03% recorded during the same period in 2024. This indicates that while the number of cases remains significant, there has been no alarming surge in fatalities, and outcomes may have marginally improved.

Bengaluru leads city toll 

• Bengaluru: 512 heart‑attack deaths (Jan–Jun 2025)
• Mysuru: 375 deaths
• Kalaburagi: 123 deaths

Gaps in data collection 

Post‑mortems were not mandatory, and families often withheld consent, limiting definitive cause‑of‑death confirmation. The committee recommends compulsory autopsies for all sudden, unexplained deaths.

Committee recommendations 

• Conduct regular heart check-ups for auto and cab drivers.
• Address the alarming rise in heart problems among young people.
• Introduce health education and routine heart check-ups for children at the school level.
• Mandate post-mortems for all heart attack and sudden death cases.
• Conduct autopsies to accurately determine the cause of sudden heart attack deaths.
• Ensure heart disease treatment facilities are available in all government hospitals.
• Equip hospitals with ECG machines and essential emergency medications such as Ecosprin.
• Ensure the availability of clopidogrel, atorvastatin, and heparin in all hospitals.
• Provide CPR training to students, teachers, and physical education instructors.

The Health Department will review the report’s proposals and is expected to issue statewide directives on mandatory autopsies, hospital preparedness and public‑awareness drives aimed at curbing premature cardiac deaths.