Dhaka, Sept. 29 -- It is a scene that has become unsettlingly common in Bangladesh. A young professional, barely in his late thirties, collapses at his office desk. A father in his early forties suddenly dies while on the treadmill. A woman in her thirties, juggling long hours at work and endless responsibilities at home, experiences chest pain that she mistakes for indigestion - until it is too late.

In Dhaka, where commutes stretch into hours, stress never seems to leave; eating out has become part of the culture, and exercise is pushed aside for survival, heart attacks are no longer a disease of old age. They are striking younger and younger Bangladeshis, catching families off guard, and altering lives forever.

Numbers we cannot igno...