YOUNG AT HEART, HEALTHY FROM START

Ahead of World Heart Day tomorrow, a leading heart specialist talks about the rise in sudden cardiac arrest among youngsters in India, its causes and precautions

- Prof (Dr) M Wali

In recent times, a series of sudden deaths have sent ripples of concern throughout the country, prompting a closer look at heart health among youngsters.

One of the most recent incidents unfolded at Nagpur Airport, where an airline pilot collapsed at a boarding gate just moments before he was scheduled to operate a flight. Tragically, his life could not be saved, even as he was rushed to the hospital. Preliminary reports suggest that the cause of death was a "sudden cardiac arrest". This incident came on the heels of another case involving an Indian-origin senior pilot who experienced a cardiac arrest while travelling as a passenger on a Delhi-Doha flight. In a separate but equally distressing occurrence, a senior airline pilot lost his life after collapsing in the bathroom of a Miami-to-Chile flight, with 271 passengers on board. Three such reports of sudden deaths have been documented within a week for the first time. Even CPR failed.

RE-EVALUATING HEART HEALTH IN INDIA