Heart disease, long regarded as a condition primarily affecting older adults, is increasingly being diagnosed in younger populations, with doctors in Indonesia reporting a growing number of cases among people under the age of 30.
Medical experts say the shift reflects broader changes in lifestyle, diet, and physical activity patterns, alongside improved diagnostic capabilities that allow earlier detection of cardiovascular risk factors.
Teguh Triyono, chairman of the Indonesian Association of Clinical Pathology Specialists, said cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of death both in Indonesia and globally, but its demographic profile is changing in ways that raise concern among clinicians.
“Now we are finding many cases of heart attacks in patients under 30,” Mr. Teguh said in remarks delivered after attending LabTalk Indonesia, an event focused on laboratory innovation organized by Mindray in collaboration with Indonesia’s Ministry of Health.
He said the increase in early-onset heart disease is closely tied to modern lifestyle patterns that reduce physical activity and increase exposure to risk factors such as poor diet and metabolic imbalance.
In particular, he pointed to what he described as a “sedentary lifestyle,” where daily movement is significantly reduced due to reliance on motorized transportation, digital services, and food delivery systems.
“In today’s terms, it is a sedentary lifestyle,” he said. “People take vehicles for short distances, order food online frequently, and physical activity has decreased significantly.”
Public health researchers have long associated sedentary behavior with increased risks of obesity, hypertension, diabetes, and dyslipidemia, all of which are major contributors to cardiovascular disease. Combined, these conditions accelerate the buildup of plaque in blood vessels, increasing the likelihood of heart attacks and strokes.
Mr. Teguh explained that damage to blood vessels can have severe consequences depending on which organs are affected. When blood vessels in the brain are impacted, the result can be a stroke. When the heart’s arteries are involved, it may lead to a myocardial infarction, commonly known as a heart attack. If the damage affects the kidneys, it can result in kidney failure.
These interconnected risks, he said, underscore the importance of early detection and preventive screening, particularly among younger populations who may not yet show obvious symptoms of cardiovascular disease.
One of the most widely used tools for early risk assessment is a lipid profile test, which measures levels of cholesterol and other fats in the blood. Elevated cholesterol levels are a known risk factor for atherosclerosis, a condition in which arteries become narrowed and hardened due to plaque buildup.
Mr. Teguh noted that the perception of heart disease as an illness affecting only older individuals is no longer accurate.
“In the past, heart disease patients were mostly over 40 or 50 years old. That is no longer the case,” he said.
He emphasized that laboratory testing plays a critical role not only in identifying risk factors but also in supporting clinical diagnosis and monitoring treatment outcomes.
“Diagnosing heart disease requires laboratory testing,” he said. “Even after therapy, patients must continue to be monitored through lab results.”
His remarks reflect a broader shift in modern medicine toward preventive diagnostics and continuous monitoring, particularly for non-communicable diseases such as cardiovascular conditions, which account for a significant proportion of global mortality.
At the same time, advances in laboratory technology are reshaping how diagnostic services are delivered. One of the most notable developments is the introduction of Total Laboratory Automation systems, or TLA, which integrate multiple stages of laboratory testing into a unified automated workflow.
Conan Chen, general manager of Mindray Medical Indonesia, said that traditional laboratory systems often rely on separate machines and fragmented software platforms, which can create inefficiencies and data integration challenges.
“In the past, laboratories used different devices that were not connected, making data integration a major challenge,” Mr. Chen said.
He explained that Total Laboratory Automation systems aim to address these challenges by integrating instruments, software, artificial intelligence, and information systems into a single operational platform. This allows samples to move through various stages of testing with minimal manual intervention, improving speed, accuracy, and consistency.
“Mindray brings everything into one platform developed in-house, including automation and AI,” he said.
According to Mr. Chen, these technological advancements are no longer limited to large tertiary hospitals. Increasingly, smaller laboratories are adopting automation systems that allow them to transition into what industry professionals describe as “smart laboratories.”
This shift, he said, has the potential to significantly expand access to high-quality diagnostic services, particularly in regions where healthcare infrastructure has historically been limited.
Experts say that faster and more accurate laboratory testing could play an important role in improving early detection of heart disease and other chronic conditions, especially as rates of cardiovascular illness continue to rise among younger age groups.
Public health authorities have repeatedly emphasized the importance of prevention, warning that lifestyle-related diseases are becoming a major burden on healthcare systems across Southeast Asia.
In Indonesia, where rapid urbanization has reshaped work patterns, transportation habits, and dietary behavior, clinicians are increasingly encountering patients with risk factors that were once rare among younger populations.
The convergence of behavioral change and technological advancement is now redefining how heart disease is understood, diagnosed, and managed.
While doctors warn that the trend toward earlier onset cardiovascular disease is concerning, they also point to improvements in diagnostic tools as a potential counterbalance, enabling earlier intervention and more effective treatment strategies.
As laboratory systems become more automated and integrated, healthcare providers hope that early detection will become more widespread, allowing patients to be treated before irreversible damage occurs.
For now, however, clinicians like Mr. Teguh say the message remains clear: heart disease is no longer confined to older adults, and prevention must begin much earlier in life than many people assume.
