Deccan Chronicle

Listen to yo body when warns you t you’re head for trouble

Many people die of heart att in their forties and fifties. Wh tragic is that most of these deaths could have been avoi if the subtle signals from the body had been recognised, a they had stopped over-exert themselves and gone to the d

- SULOGNA MEHTA DR M V N SURESH,

The untimely death of popular singer KK (Krishnakum­ar Kunnath) at the age of 54 has sparked a discussion on whether his death was preventabl­e. The singer had mentioned that he felt uncomforta­ble due to the heat, humidity and psychedeli­c lights during a live show, and had been sweating profusely in a suffocatin­gly overcrowde­d auditorium without functionin­g ACs. He had also reportedly complained of arm and shoulder pain the previous day. The post-mortem examinatio­n revealed traces of antacid, and the medication was found in his hotel room as well, indicating that he had been experienci­ng discomfort for a couple of days.

Some of the celebritie­s who died unexpected­ly during the last year are Sidharth Shukla

(41), Kannada actor Punith Rajkumar (46), and television actor Abhishek Chatterjee (58).

Sidharth had complained of feeling uneasy before he went to bed one night, and did not wake up the next morning. Punith Rajkumar felt unwell after an exhausting gym session just prior to his death. Abhishek Chatterjee complained of feeling unwell, but continued to shoot even after his condition deteriorat­ed.

All these celebritie­s ignored the warning signs sent by their bodies. Had they stopped exerting themselves and sought medical attention immediatel­y, their lives might have been saved.

DON’T IGNORE WARNING SIGNS

Emergency healthcare experts tell us how to identify warning signs and act on them to prevent collapsing due to conditions like excessive stress, burnout and heatstroke, BP fluctuatio­ns, brain strokes and cardiac arrests.

Dr M V N Suresh, emergency medicine specialist, Yashoda Hospitals, says, “Overwhelmi­ng stress and exertion levels lead to burnouts. This, coupled with family history of cardiac disease, can cause untimely deaths.” He points out that most of these deaths are preventabl­e. “Simple steps like lifestyle modificati­ons, including regular exercise and a balanced, healthy diet, taking adequate breaks at work, spending time with loved ones and reconnecti­ng with nature can improve life expectancy” he notes.

“It is important that people understand the early signs of a life-threatenin­g emergency condition, which can lead to sudden collapse and cardio-respirator­y arrest. People should not ignore cardinal signs like chest pain or chest discomfort, difficulty in climbing stairs, burning sensation in the stomach, giddiness or a feeling of doom. If any of these signs is noticed, immediatel­y seek help from a hospital that can provide emergency care. Bystanders can provide CPR (cardio-pulmonary resuscitat­ion) in case of a cardio-respirator­y arrest till medical profession­als take over,” Dr Suresh adds.

CPR CAN SAVE LIVES

Dr Saida Banu, emergency consultant, says, “Apart from myocardial infarction (MI), there can be a number of reasons for a person to suddenly experience discomfort and collapse. It can happen due to insufficie­nt oxygen and blood supply to the vital organs like the brain and heart causing a cerebral stroke or cardiac arrest; it can be due to dehydratio­n, suffocatio­n etc. Heatstroke and sunstroke can cause collapse too, as also abnormally low or high blood pressure, low haemoglobi­n, fluctuatio­ns in blood sugar level, and so on. People having underlying health issues like hypertensi­on, diabetes, pre-existing heart problems, genetic vulnerabil­ity, stressful jobs, those who take steroids, are habitual smokers and drinkers, and do strenuous exercise need to be extra cautious when they feel uncomforta­ble.”

Dr. Saida flags profuse sweating,

POPULAR SINGER KK’S DIED SUDDENLY LAST Y PUNITH RAJKUMAR (46) CELEBRITIE­S IGNORED T EXERTING THEMSELVES MIGHT HAVE BEEN SAV

“IT IS IMPORTANT THAT PEOPLE UNDERSTAND TH EARLY SIGNS OF A LIFE-THREATENIN­G EMERGENC CONDITION, WHICH CAN LEAD TO SUDDEN COL LAPSE AND CARDIO-RESPIRATOR­Y ARREST. PEOPL SHOULD NOT IGNORE CARDINAL SIGNS LIKE CHES PAIN OR CHEST DISCOMFORT, DIFFICULTY IN CLIMB ING STAIRS, BURNING SENSATION IN THE STOMACH GIDDINESS OR A FEELING OF DOOM. IF ANY O THESE SIGNS IS NOTICED, IMMEDIATEL­Y SEEK HEL

emergency medicine specialis

chest pain, radiating pain in the arm, a burning sensation, suffocatio­n, dehydratio­n and exhaustion, as reasons to seek immediate medical interventi­on. “Those who experience these symptoms should stop the work at hand and and airy pla ical help ar not keep ta etc., mistak indigestio­n this will agg

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