It was our usual morning coffee/tea time, when the discussion begun on the sudden demise of SAP India President - Ranjan Das.
There! All the janta opinion/premise on Heart Attacks flew out of the window. Ranjan, aged 42, reportedly a health and fitness freak, non-smoker, with no previous cardiac complaints became a sudden victim to a Cardiac Arrest. We have been talking all this while about living longer if you live healthy, and suddenly this confusion. Here’s when we thought of getting answers to some intriguing questions that were floating in our minds.
We went back to the classroom to find answers. Here they go:
Question #1: Who are the people prone to Cardiac Arrest?
Everyone. Period. The very nature of Cardiac Arrest is so sudden and untimely, that it really cant be predicted. At the same time, experts say the people on the watch are:
- Men above 45 and Women above 55.
- Family History of Cardiac Ailments.
- Smokers/Tobacco Consumers.
- Hypertension Patients and Diabetics
Question #2: If I take good care of my health, can I still be a victim?
Of course, this incident would answer this question. There have been cases of young and fit 17 -20 year olds who have been a victim of cardiac arrest. But the point remains that we still need to take care of our health with utmost discipline in all respects – Mind and Body.
Question #3: Does a Cardiac Arrest give any warning signals?
Dr Ashish Contractor, Head – Cardiology, Asian Heart Institute, says, “There are devious triggers, which are not easily identifiable. These range from Emotional Stress, Intense Physical Stress, Intense Activity, Unaccustomed exertion. Cardiac Arrest can also be triggered from uncontrolled Hypertension and Diabetes”.
Question #4: What’s the Difference between Cardiac Arrest and Heart Attack?
Your Heart is a Plumbing and Electrical System. We usually understand heart as a stream of canals, which if get blocked leads to a failure.
First, your heart is a pump. It has a network of pipes (blood vessels) along with some valves and pumping chambers. A heart attack is a problem with the heart's plumbing system, in that some arteries get clogged and that damages the main muscle, or main pump.
The heart also has a complicated electrical system. The heart generates its own electricity and uses this electricity to run the pumps causing them to contract and relax in the proper timing sequence. Just as your heart can experience a plumbing problem, it also can experience different electrical problems. The problems occur when the system works too slow or too fast which could result in a fatal cardiac arrest.
Question #5: Would a Routine Medical Test would show a risk?
A Routine Medical Test, would generally not show any symptoms of a risk of a Cardiac Arrest.
Question #6: What are the precautions?
Dr. Bhaskar Shah, Eminent Cardiologist, explains it in detail:
“If you are high risk member for cardiac (positive for any two conditions above), get a CT Angiography done & identify whether you have plaque deposits. If it’s more than 40%, you need to go for further test.
The second test would be HS CRP (High Sensitivity C-Reactive Protein). If you are positive for this test, which means that the plaque deposited in your arteries is susceptible to rupture & hence, you could be a person who could have sudden heart attack.
Then you need to consult your Cardiologist who would put you on statins & aspirin which help change the structure of the plaque which would change it from High-Sensitivity to Low Sensitivity thus reducing probability of your having sudden heart attack”.
“Remember, that one cloudy day in summer does not make it winter” concludes Dr. Bhaskar Shah, indicating that such incidents should not result in panic alarms. Just “Jiyo Healthy” and leave rest to nature!
So, there! We have solved our mystery and refreshed our understanding around this issue. If you have any questions feel free to use the comments box below, and we will ensure you get a reply.
