Is there any connection between a sudden rise in cardiac arrests and Covid-19? The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) is conducting a study to find out the link between the two.
As part of the study, a review of the recent cases of sudden cardiac arrests in the country and verbal autopsy – a method of gathering information about symptoms and circumstances for a deceased person to determine their cause of death- will be done by several top cardiologists and forensic specialists from AIIMS, Times of India reported quoting sources.
“There is a lot of disinformation going on about the possible causes behind a rise in cases of sudden cardiac arrest. Many people are also linking it with Covid and vaccines used for it. The purpose of this study will be to investigate the actual cause,” a health ministry official was quoted as saying by TOI.
Several videos emerged on social media showing many people collapsing and dying suddenly while they were doing a physical activity like dancing.
A doctor advised that people shouldn’t ignore cardiac symptoms regardless of their age or fitness. “It is also advisable to get periodic health check-ups done to reduce the risk of a health catastrophe,” he added.
A health expert suggested that conducting post-mortem in sudden cardiac deaths involving young people with no known history of heart disease or other known risk factors will help conclude the cause of death. “Also, in case the death was caused due to an undiagnosed heart condition, then the family can be asked to undergo screening to rule out the disease as well. Some of the heart diseases are known to run in families,” he added.
Multiple factors, including stress, lack of physical activity, high sugar and salt consumption, high consumption of fat content in diet, lack of a heart-healthy diet accompanied by genetic makeup of Indians make us more prone to falling prey to heart diseases.
According to the World Health Organisation, India accounts for at least one-fifth of the 1.79 crore cardiovascular disease-related deaths globally, especially in the younger generation. This means more than 35 lakh deaths due to heart ailments take place in India.
COVID-19 AND HEART AILMENTS
A large global study published in peer-reviewed medical journal The Lancet advised that people with a history of Covid-19 should pay attention to their cardiovascular health.
The study found that the risk of developing heart ailments is “substantially” higher among Covid-19 survivors than those with no history of the infection.
The study noted that the impact of Covid-19 on cardio-related outcomes appeared to be more pronounced in in-patients (who were admitted to the hospital for treatment due to the infection) than in out-patients.
It concluded that “the 12-month risk of incidental cardiovascular diseases is substantially higher in the Covid-19 survivors than the non-Covid-19 controls”.
Doctors believe that there are two ways by which Covid-19 affects the heart. First is a direct infection of the heart muscle due to which it gets weakened, leading to heart failure. The second is that after Covid-19, a mild form of the infection persists in the body for many months. The arteries remain inflamed, leading to the tendency of clotting inside the heart. This results in heart attack and other complications.
“Many incidents have come to light in recent months of a sudden heart attack in people after doing vigorous exercise. In these cases, the heart muscle may still be inflamed due to long Covid-19, triggering a heart attack,” Jha said.
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