The death of singer KK after a concert in Kolkata has rekindled debate on causes of early age cardiac issues and mental stress. India Today spoke to several doctors to find out why sudden cardiac arrest in young people has become a common phenomenon.
Dr Rajneesh Kapoor, Interventional Cardiology of Medanta Hospital said, “It is very important to understand that a healthy lifestyle is not visible and limited to what we look at from outside. Even if a person is working out regularly or physically active, there must be a chance that their blood vessels may not be working in the way that they are supposed to be.”
“The factors that may lead to weakened blood vessels could be many. However, alcohol consumption, smoking, stress, and an unhealthy sleep routine adds to the risks of heart conditions nullifying all the good that a person is doing,” he added.
Experts believe that the real reason behind this is that a lot of young individuals and executives are more stressed, trying to achieve more, keeping up with the competition. Between that, they miss out on their health, be it physical or mental health.
This excessive stressful life is leading to hormonal changes in the body which are detrimental to heart cells, that further leads to heart attacks and mortalities due to heart diseases.
“The first and the foremost prevention is the screening beyond the age of 40, an annual cardiac check-up and comprehensive screening test including blood sugar, cholesterol, lipid profiles, blood tests and good stress tests. It is very important to address the conditions of the arteries of the heart. The risk factors like diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol should be addressed and treated at the right time. And most importantly, a healthy diet and healthy lifestyle which is a key to a healthy heart should be maintained,” Dr Kapoor added.
Dr Samanjay Mukherjee, an interventional cardiologist at Manipal hospital, said cardiac issues among young Indians have existed for a long time now.
“Heart attacks at a young age are not uncommon in India; they have existed for a long time. However, I believe that increased peer pressure, or the pressure to perform well in your profession, is driving us insane and causing us to forget many aspects of our lives,” he said.
Dr Mukherjee said that if people have a history of heart related issues, then they need to keep a tab on their health on a regular basis.
“If someone has a family history of cardiac disease, I believe it’s now mandatory to have your first investigation when you’re 20, rather than in your late teens. If everything is normal, you can have it done every four or five years. But if there is something grossly abdominal, you should have it checked annually and take the proper steps to manage it. The importance of lifestyle management cannot be overstated,” he said.
“When we talk about sudden cardiac death, we mean death that occurs within one hour of the onset of symptoms. It does not have to be a heart attack; it could be an arrhythmia, or any of a number of other heart diseases. Aside from that, there is also aortic disease, which can result in a sudden death if the aorta ruptures. So all of these things, including pulmonary embolism, which is the formation of clots in your legs that migrate to your lungs, can result in sudden death,” he added.
Speaking about Covid as a factor in this, Dr Mukherjee said people who have had multiple episodes of Covid may be more prone to thrombosis, which can result in clots in the brain, heart, lungs, or even limbs.
“Previously, we assumed that anticoagulant or antiplatelet drugs had to be administered for three months. However, it has been observed that people are still receiving it after six months. So that is another entity that is most likely affecting us. Second, the amount of tobacco consumption has increased dramatically, particularly among women. And you must understand that all of these have a negative impact on your heart and your entire body system,” he said.
Another medical practitioner, Dr Upendra Kaul, stated the symptoms of heart attack include weakness, sweating, vomiting and others. Dr Kaul advised regular checks of blood pressure, sugar and cholesterol levels to eliminate the risk at an early stage.
Eminent Cardiologist Dr Naresh Trehan, speaking about singer KK’s demise, said singing in a concert is a high energy activity and the people involved would not have realised the symptoms of a heart attack.
“He [KK] may have been dehydrated while continuously performing in front of such big lights. It can cause heat stroke; the blood becomes thick. Blood clotting also increases and this is more so when there is a prior history of heart disease. In such accidents, there may be coronary artery rupture, which we call dissection. This leads to an immediate heart attack,” he said.
