Cardaic muscle disease, defect in electric system of can be cause of sudden cardiac deaths in young people: Dr Nisar Ul Hassan

Srinagar: Says, Postmortem must to check the reason behind deaths of young people, vaccine will lessen heart attacks.

Very young people are dying of cardaic arrests in J&K and cardiac muscle disease and defects in electric system of heart can be their cause, DAK president said on Saturday.

While talking exclusively with PTK, Dr Nisar Ul Hassan said that Cardiomyopathy is a disease of the heart muscle, causing the heart muscle to become enlarged, thick or rigid. In rare cases, the muscle tissue in the heart is replaced with scar tissue. As cardiomyopathy worsens, the heart becomes weaker and it can be one reason of the cardaic arrests in young people.

He said that qt syndrome that is a heart rhythm disorder that can potentially cause fast, chaotic heartbeats and long QT syndrome can be inherited or caused by a medication or condition. It often goes undiagnosed or is misdiagnosed as a seizure disorder, such as epilepsy.

Moreover, the heart attack may be another reason of cardiac arrest, he said, adding that exact reason can be known only through postmortem.

He said the number of heart attack and stroke patients at Kashmir hospitals doubles in winter.

“There is an increase in the number of deaths from heart attacks and strokes during winter months,” he said

“Not only elderly people, but young and healthy individuals come to hospitals with massive heart attacks and strokes. Some of them are brought dead,” he said .

DAK President said winter chill increases your risk of having a heart attack or stroke. “Research shows that there are up to 53 percent more heart attacks in winter than in summer,” he said.

Among those already at high risk due to raised blood pressure, smoking or being overweight the increase is 30 percent,” he said.

“Frigid temperatures constrict blood vessels that increase blood pressure which makes it suffer heart attack or stroke,” he said adding “the blood tends to be thicker and stickier during extreme cold which makes it easier to clot.”

If you catch the virus, you are at an increased risk of having a heart attack or stroke. Covid-19 causes acute and severe inflammation that builds up fat deposits in the inner walls of the blood vessels. These fat deposits dislodge and get stuck in the heart or brain where they block the blood flow,” he said.

“Lack of sunlight during winter leaves people vitamin D deficient which is associated with increased risk of dying from heart attack or stroke,” he said.

Dr Hassan said ‘we know preexisting heart disease is a risk factor for higher mortality in COVID-19 patients, but recent evidence shows that the novel virus can cause heart injury even in people without underlying heart issues’.

“Lung injury has taken the centre stage as the most dreaded complication of COVID-19, but heart damage has recently emerged as yet another grim outcome in the virus repertoire of complications,” he said.

The DAK president said more people actually die of heart disease rather than pneumonia. “Cardiac complications have been found to contribute 40 per cent of deaths related to Covid-19,” he said.

He said COVID-19 infection causes acute and severe inflammation throughout the body that builds up fat deposits in the inner walls of blood vessels. “These fat deposits dislodge and get stuck in the heart or brain, where they block the blood flow. COVID-19 infection activates blood cells and clotting system leading to increased risk of blood clots,” he said.

“The new findings would help doctors to recognize red flags in patients with Covid-19 infection and provide earlier intervention and save lives,” he added.

Vaccine lessens the risk of heart attack and it must be given to public at an earliest, he said, adding that people should quit smoking and take healthy diet and should avoid moving out in very cold weather.

Moreover Sress is a risk factor for heart disease, it could be because chronic stress exposes your body to unhealthy, persistently elevated levels of stress hormones like adrenaline and cortisol. Studies also link stress to changes in the way blood clots, which increases the risk of heart attack, he said adding that young people here are under stress due to the situation in J&K, unemployment issues and other things.

He said that there is need to provide proper counselling to these young people instead of drugs. (PTK)