A rise in heart attacks while exercising or at the gym.

A rise in heart attacks while exercising or at the gym.

 

There are so many news stories about super stars losing their lives after going to the gym.

 

1.Punit Rajkumar develops cardiac arrest following strenuous exercises.

2.Raju Srivastava passed away due to post-cardiac arrest complications after gym.

3.Siddhaanth Surryavanshi dies of heart attack post gym session.

4.Many more.

 

Now the question is why there is a rise in heart attacks while exercising or at the gym.

 

What causes heart attack?

1.Heart attacks are caused when there is a sudden blockage in the coronary arteries supplying blood to the cardiac muscle.

2.While chronic obstruction of more than 70% can cause angina or chest pain in normal individuals. But in case of a heart attack (acute myocardial infarction) can also occur when soft plaques that form in the coronary arteries rupture and cause a large blockage.

3.This may come without any prior warning symptoms.

4.Even plaques of 30 per cent can rupture and lead to the formation of a large obstructive clot.

5.Fats circulating in blood can then deposit at the site of injury to grow the plaque.

6.High blood pressure, smoking, diabetes, unhealthy diets, stress, inadequate sleep or recent infection are factors that can cause such inflammation. Which increases chances of cardiac events exponentially.

 

What causes cardiac death during exercise?

1.Sudden cardiac death during strenuous physical activity occurs more often in cases where blockages are undiagnosed, and sometimes in the background of a known diagnosis.

2.Vigorous exercise can also cause plaque rupture or trigger electrical disturbances in the heart leading to cardiac arrest.

3.If a patient is revived in such a situation, he or she stands a better chance as compared to sudden cardiac arrest at rest where the heart is usually weak (heart failure).” but chances of survival are less as the body already is in need of higher oxygen demand due to vigorous exercises.

How to prevent it?

1.Better to get fitness clearance by physician or cardiologist before joining gym or strenuous exercises. They will check ECG, 2D- ECHO,Stress test(Thread mill test) BP , lipid profile, heart rate and rhythm.

2.Not all the people need strenuous physical exercises, professionals like wrestlers, and those who work in acting where their body matters a lot need these types of strenuous exercises.

3.Normal persons can go jogging in parks, mild stretching exercises are enough.

4.Most gym is located in very tight spaces where there is no proper ventilation, no proper air conditioning system,lots of carpets on floor which is full of dust, no regular cleaning of equipment, when all are doing vigorous exercises they need good amount of oxygen concentration.

5.Mild symptoms like breathlessness on exertion, chest pain, left shoulder pain radiating from chest, feeling of one’s heart beat on exercises not to be ignored. Need to visit the hospital immediately.

6.Smoking, alcohol consumption, tobacco chewing, excessive dietary intake of fats, history of cardiac disease in the family and obesity increases the risk of heart diseases, and needs to stop immediately.

 

Hope you understand my blog, I want to keep it very simple in order to read by a normal individual. But some medical terminology has been used to explain it. I think how to prevent it is a must read topic for everyone.

 

If you like my blog please comment below.

Dr Saad Mohammad Athanikar.

MBBS, DNB(ORTHO), FAGE, MNAMS.

Consultant Orthopedic surgeon.