Islamabad: The number of young widows and orphaned children is rising across Pakistan as an estimated 1,000 people, mostly men, suffer heart attacks every day, with an increasing number of victims in their 30s and 40s dying prematurely from cardiovascular disease and leaving behind families deprived of their primary breadwinners, cardiology experts have warned.
The experts say heart attacks, once considered a disease of old age, are increasingly affecting younger Pakistanis, particularly men in their late 30s and early 40s, due to a combination of smoking, diabetes, hypertension, obesity, high cholesterol, unhealthy diets, chronic stress, lack of exercise and inadequate sleep.
Karachi alone is witnessing around 105 to 110 heart attacks every day, equivalent to nearly one heart attack every 13 minutes, making it one of the country’s major cardiovascular hotspots. Cardiologists say a worrying proportion of these patients are relatively young men who are in the prime of their professional and family lives.
“When a man in his late 30s or early 40s dies from a heart attack, the impact goes far beyond the loss of a patient. We are seeing increasing numbers of young widows and children growing up without fathers because people are developing severe coronary artery disease much earlier than before,” said Dr Bashir Hanif, Executive Director of Tabba Heart Institute and a leading interventional cardiologist.
Data from the Cardiac Registry of Pakistan, being run in collaboration with the Pakistan Society of Interventional Cardiology’s CathPCI Registry and Outcome Program (PSIC-CROP), show that 407,503 of the 501,347 patients enrolled between 2016 and March 2026 presented with heart attacks, accounting for more than 81 percent of all patients undergoing cardiac procedures.
The registry, which receives data from around 200 cardiac centres and hospitals across Pakistan, reveals that nearly 10 percent of heart attack patients were aged 40 years or younger, meaning over 40,000 people in this age group suffered heart attacks during the study period.
The data further indicate that around one quarter of heart attack patients are younger than 50 years, highlighting the growing burden of premature cardiovascular disease in Pakistan.
According to registry figures, Karachi reported 36,627 heart attack patients during 2025 alone, translating into approximately 105 to 110 cases every day. Based on Karachi’s burden and national trends, cardiology experts estimate that Pakistan may be witnessing between 700 and 1,000 heart attacks daily, or roughly 29 to 42 every hour.
Dr Hanif cautioned that even these figures likely underestimate the true scale of the crisis because many heart attack victims never reach specialised cardiac centres. Some die at home, some succumb during transportation, while others are brought dead to hospitals. In addition, many healthcare facilities either do not contribute data to the registry or report only a portion of their cases.
“The actual number of heart attacks and heart attack related deaths is likely significantly higher than what the registry captures. Many patients never undergo angiography or receive specialist care, particularly in smaller cities and rural areas,” he said.
Experts say the burden of premature heart disease falls disproportionately on men because they are more likely to smoke, experience work related stress, develop central obesity and ignore early warning signs of cardiovascular disease.
Interestingly, women often share many of the same risk factors, including diabetes, obesity, hypertension and physical inactivity, yet tend to develop heart disease later in life due to the protective effects of female hormones, particularly estrogen.
Cardiologists explain that estrogen helps maintain the health and flexibility of blood vessels and slows the development of atherosclerosis, the process that causes narrowing and blockage of coronary arteries. This natural protection remains active during the reproductive years but gradually declines after menopause.
“Women generally enjoy a hormonal shield against heart disease before menopause. Once estrogen levels fall, that protection is lost and their risk of heart attacks rises sharply, especially if they have diabetes, hypertension, obesity or other cardiovascular risk factors,” Dr Hanif explained.
To better understand the causes of premature heart disease, Dr Bashir Hanif and his colleagues, in collaboration with Getz Pharma, are conducting the Pakistan Study of Premature Coronary Atherosclerosis in Young Adults (PAK-SEHAT), a nationwide longitudinal study involving 2,000 apparently healthy young adults.
Preliminary findings have revealed alarmingly high levels of cardiovascular risk factors among young Pakistanis. Nearly half of participants had elevated blood pressure, around 30 percent had diabetes, approximately 70 percent had abnormal cholesterol levels and between 70 and 80 percent were overweight or obese.
Experts say these findings explain why heart attacks are increasingly striking younger age groups and underscore the urgent need for aggressive prevention efforts.
Dr Hanif stressed that most premature heart attacks can be prevented through healthier diets, regular physical activity, smoking cessation, weight control, routine screening for diabetes and hypertension, adequate sleep and timely treatment of individuals at high cardiovascular risk.
“Pakistan is facing a growing epidemic of premature cardiovascular disease. Unless preventive measures are strengthened urgently, more families will continue to lose husbands, fathers and breadwinners at a young age, increasing the number of widows and orphaned children across the country,” he warned.
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