SINGAPORE: At the age of 37, Mr Alvin Mercado suffered his first heart attack while accompanying his young daughter at their family clinic.

“I would describe it as something like a crushing, heavy pain. And then I had this numbness running from my neck through my left hand, and I was wearing a mask - and I recall that I couldn't breathe at all,” he recounted.

When he sought help from the doctor, he was immediately taken to the hospital where he was told he needed an emergency stent procedure.

But that was not the end of the bad news.

Nine months later in mid-2024, he suffered a second heart attack despite having already made healthier changes to his lifestyle. The IT engineer is now undergoing a cardiac rehabilitation programme.

Mr Mercado is among a growing number of younger Singaporeans experiencing heart problems that could lead to more serious conditions later in life, according to doctors and cardiologists.

The National Heart Centre Singapore (NHCS) now handles more than 120,000 patient consultations every year – up from 80,000 in 2006.

This also comes as the number of heart attack cases in Singapore continue to go up. Data from the Singapore Myocardial Infarction Registry showed the number went up from about 8,000 in 2011 to over 12,000 a decade later.

The number of heart attacks in Singapore is projected to rise almost three-fold from about 480 cases per 100,000 people this year, to around 1,400 by 2050, according to forecasts by medical researchers from the National University Health System cluster.

Cardiovascular disease – or heart disease – is the top cause of death in Singapore, accounting for almost a third of deaths in 2023.

WHAT ARE THE MAJOR RISK FACTORS?

Dr Ching Chi Keong, senior consultant cardiologist at NHCS, told CNA that the number of people aged above 50 with hypertension, high cholesterol and diabetes has risen over the years.

These are major risk factors for heart disease, the most common of which is coronary artery disease.

“Fortunately, not all patients with coronary artery disease have the severe form leading to heart attacks or sudden death, but it’s prudent to control these risk factors,” Dr Ching added.

For those like Mr Mercado who suffered he...