Sudden cardiac death are becoming more common as people drop dead while dancing in movies, driving vehicles, and even during their wedding ceremonies. According to media reports, a man from Kakinada district of Andhra Pradesh died of a heart attack while watching James Cameron’s avatar2 with his younger brother. He collapsed in the middle of the film and was pronounced dead when taken to hospital. According to a study, watching movies with stressful scenes can cause changes in heart rate patterns. But can it cause sudden cardiac death? We asked experts. (Read also: How to take care of your heart and lungs in the winter season; expert offers tips)
SUDDEN HEART FAILURE DUE TO PRE-EXISTING PROBLEMS
“A heart attack can cause cardiac arrest and the patient can also suffer sudden cardiac death. A heart attack can be due to blockage of the arteries, especially if there are problems such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, sugar, heavy smoking, obesity or bad genetics So if you are not used to some kind of exercise regimen and if you take on a sudden exercise routine like lifting weights etc you can collapse.Especially after Covid there is ongoing inflammation in our blood vessels.
Due to stress, increase in blood pressure, as in this case, the heart arteries could rupture and that can cause sudden cardiac arrest,” says Dr. Sanjeev Gera, Director and HOD – Cardiology, Fortis Hospital, Noida.
SUDDEN ARRHYTHMIA CAN CAUSE A HEART ATTACK
“If you have risk factors, all of these things can cause the development of small blockages in heart arteries that can rupture under stressful conditions and cause a heart attack. Cardiac arrest can also result from a heart attack or arrhythmias. There are some genetic conditions that can cause this Whenever there is acute stress, mental stress, physical stress, it can cause rhythm disturbances. Sudden arrhythmias can cause a heart attack. There is one condition called coronary artery dissection. The arteries that supply blood to the heart can be suddenly dissected or ruptured, which can cause a heart attack, resulting in sudden cardiac arrest and death,’ Dr Gera added.
OTHER CAUSES OF SUDDEN HEART DEATH
“When a patient dies suddenly, the most common cause of it is an entity called sudden cardiac death. Sudden cardiac death, by definition, is death that occurs within 1 hour of the onset of symptoms. Other causes of sudden death may include pulmonary embolism, major intracranial bleeding or toxin exposure Aortic dissection or rupture is another cause In this man the most likely cause is a heart attack with ventricular tachycardia/fibrillation leading to death People with underlying heart problems may die suddenly due to extreme stress/excitement This could be due to a plaque rupture in the coronary arteries or causing an arrhythmia from excitement. These kinds of deaths happen during tense matches/emotional situations. It is unlikely that the film itself caused the death,” said Dr. Pradeep Kumar D, Sr. Consultant – Interventional Cardiology, Aster CMI Hospital.
WRONG LIFESTYLE, GENETIC CONDITION
“Unfortunately, many young people in our country have a heart attack that goes unnoticed. Every year the cases are increasing in India. The number of cases of heart attack has increased by 15% to 20% in the past 2 months. The reasons behind the young heart attacks are diabetes, sedentary lifestyle, air pollution, stress, heavy training, steroids etc. Also Asian Indians are genetically predisposed to develop heart attacks, moreover adoption of Western lifestyle leading to further mutation in that faulty gene makes Indian more prone to heart attacks. Even during COVID, many young people died of heart attacks, as COVID was not only a lung disease, but an inflammation. Even if you don’t have any symptoms, you should check your diabetes and blood pressure regularly. At a time when sugar or blood pressure is high, you are not aware of it, at first these two things do not give any preliminary symptoms. To keep your heart health good, you need to undergo stress test, 2D ultrasound, cholesterol levels and ECG,” says Dr Ravi Gupta, Consultant Cardiologist Wockhardt Hospital, Mumbai Central.
