NEW DELHI: The death of a 28-year-old Air India Express pilot due to cardiac arrest, shortly after landing his flight in Delhi on Wednesday, and that of a 23-year-old woman while dancing at a wedding in Madhya Pradesh in Feb, has put the spotlight on rising incidents of sudden cardiac deaths among young people. Social media is flooded with videos of people collapsing and dying suddenly while dancing, singing or just taking a walk, either due to cardiac arrest or heart attack - the conditions becoming more common in the under-40 age group.
Recently at AIIMS, Dr Ambuj Roy, a senior cardiologist at the hospital, treated a 26-year-old man after he suffered a massive heart attack. He was physically fit and there was no history of any chronic illness but doctors found that he was a heavy smoker. "People associate tobacco-use, whether it is a smokeless product or smoking, with lung diseases and cancer. But if you look at the statistics, number of deaths caused by heart diseases, where tobacco use is a culprit, is almost equivalent to the number of deaths caused by the other two diseases," Dr Roy said.
His colleague, Dr Nitesh Naik, called for increased awareness to reduce modifiable risk factors, which can lead to serious heart conditions, including heart attack or sudden cardiac arrest. These risk factors include smoking, high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol and obesity. "It is equally important for people aged 40 and above to undergo periodic health check-ups to screen for underlying heart diseases. Timely detection and intervention can reduce the risk of serious complications," he said.
In the pilot's case, it is not yet clear what triggered cardiac arrest or sudden loss of heart activity due to an irregular heart rhythm. But the incident has triggered concerns regarding long work hours and stress among pilots. Several mechanisms have been postulated for linking stress with cardiovascular diseases, say doctors. This includes behavioural factors such as smoking, excess alcohol intake, lack of exercise, poor adherence to medications and increased heart rate and raised blood pressure. These factors, doctors add, may either individually or in combination lead to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease in patients with a higher degree of stress.
Recently at AIIMS, Dr Ambuj Roy, a senior cardiologist at the hospital, treated a 26-year-old man after he suffered a massive heart attack. He was physically fit and there was no history of any chronic illness but doctors found that he was a heavy smoker. "People associate tobacco-use, whether it is a smokeless product or smoking, with lung diseases and cancer. But if you look at the statistics, number of deaths caused by heart diseases, where tobacco use is a culprit, is almost equivalent to the number of deaths caused by the other two diseases," Dr Roy said.
His colleague, Dr Nitesh Naik, called for increased awareness to reduce modifiable risk factors, which can lead to serious heart conditions, including heart attack or sudden cardiac arrest. These risk factors include smoking, high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol and obesity. "It is equally important for people aged 40 and above to undergo periodic health check-ups to screen for underlying heart diseases. Timely detection and intervention can reduce the risk of serious complications," he said.
In the pilot's case, it is not yet clear what triggered cardiac arrest or sudden loss of heart activity due to an irregular heart rhythm. But the incident has triggered concerns regarding long work hours and stress among pilots. Several mechanisms have been postulated for linking stress with cardiovascular diseases, say doctors. This includes behavioural factors such as smoking, excess alcohol intake, lack of exercise, poor adherence to medications and increased heart rate and raised blood pressure. These factors, doctors add, may either individually or in combination lead to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease in patients with a higher degree of stress.
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