Comedian Raju Srivastav Dies From Complications After Heart Attack: What to Know

The incident has once again triggered questions of why so many young people are having heart attacks. Experts speak.

Raju Srivastav Heart attack in the gym: reasons, early signs

(Photo:FIT)

Comedian Raju Srivastava passed away in Delhi on Wednesday, 21 September, according to reports.

The 58-year-old was admitted to AIIMS Hospital in Delhi after suffering a mild heart attack on 10 August.

Speaking to the media earlier this month, his wife shared that he was in a stable condition, though he was still on ventilator support.

According to media reports, he had had the heart attack in a gym in Delhi. It has been said that Srivastava suffered the attack while exercising on the thread-mill.

Heart attacks among young people in India has become a matter of concern over the past few years.

What is the reason behind the increase in heart attacks and cardiac arrests in India?

FIT talks to heart experts to help understand this growing problem, and ways to avoid suffering from one.

Earlier, when we thought of heart attacks or heart-related diseases, we thought of them as diseases that came with old age.

Although aging is a factor, but the increasing number of heart attack cases in young people proves that this line of thinking is wrong. If recent events tells us anything, it is that young people can have heart conditions too.

"The lesson to be learned from heart attack cases is that if you are an Indian who has crossed the age of 50, you may have (a) 20 percent (chance of developing) heart problems. The reason for this can be poor lifestyle and other diseases".

Dr Kunal Sarkar, Chairman, Kolkata Heart Foundation

The risk of heart disease starts a decade earlier in India than in the rest of the world. And stress is fast becoming one of the biggest causes of heart attacks among young Indians.

“The problem of heart attack was there in the young Indians, that is, among the youth of India. The number may have increased, but cases have been seen before. Nowadays information is easily available through media and social media, so we are getting to hear more of them".

Dr Anjan Siotia, Director, Interventional Cardiology, BM Biral Heart Research Centre, Kolkata

Dr Anjan Siotia further says, "There is a difference between cardiac arrest and heart attack. Which many people do not understand. Cardiac arrest causes death."

In most cases, people don't even realise that they have had a heart attack.

What Are The Symptoms Of A Heart Attack?

“Most heart attacks are caused by the formation of plaques or blood clots in the coronary arteries. These blockages are formed over the years, especially from high cholesterol foods and saturated fat foods. Like ghee, butter, red meat. Plaques build up over years, and the risk of them bursting goes up with time. Stress, excessive use of tobacco, or a disease such as diabetes can cause plaques and blood clots to burst."

Dr Subhash Chandra, Chairman & HOD, Cardiology, Max Hospital

"Some may or may not have early symptoms. Many people find out they have a heart problem after a heart attack. But some people's bodies are already warning," says Dr Anjan Siotia.

According to Dr Siotia, these are some early signs to look out for.

• When a heart attack occurs, there is a feeling of pressure or pain in the chest. Pressure may also be felt in the arms, throat, upper abdomen

• Excessive sweating

• breathlessness

• Feeling weakness, fatigue

• Some people may also feel gassy, like they're having an acid reflux

• Vomiting is also common

What Are The Causes Of Cardiac Arrest?

Dr Manish Bansal, Director of Clinical and Preventive Cardiology, Medanta explains the causes of cardiac arrest,

• A heart attack

• When the heart beats too fast or too slow

• Problems with the heart's electrical system

• Sometimes due to an infection in the body

• Severe liver or kidney damage can also lead to heart issues

• Too low or too high levels of chemicals such as potassium, sodium, calcium in the blood

Heart attack can sometimes lead to sudden cardiac arrest, which can be fatal.

Heart Attacks in Young People

People between the ages of 30-40 years are more prone to heart attacks.

Within heart patients, 40 percent of the patients are also victims of diabetes.

According to doctors, the main cause of heart attack is poor lifestyle and stress. Nowadays, stress has increased a lot in people's life, especially young professionals.

People are eating more and exercising less. Cases of diabetes and blood pressure have also increased.

To sum it up, all of these factors are contributing to the increased risk of heart attack:

• Poor lifestyle

• Diabetes

• Smoking

• high blood pressure

• High cholesterol levels

• Lack of physical activity

• Obesity

Do This In The Case of An Emergency

“Many people do not understand that they have had a heart attack. At that time they feel discomfort, gassiness or bone pain. When early signs like this occur and you don't get necessary tests done, it can make it worse. At the same time, some people also get silent heart attack, in which there is no pain. Especially in diabetic patients or in older women”.

Dr Anjan Siotia

If someone near you has a heart attack,

• Give them an Aspirin tablet to chew

• Give them a statin tablet

• Give them Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CRP)

• Go to the nearest hospital immediately

In Case of A Cardiac Arrest

Dr Manish Bansal says, “In such a situation, the patient should be given Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CRP) by the people around. We recommend people to learn the procedure of Basic Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CRP). Knowing the information can save lives."

Take Care Of Your Brain And Heart, Especially After COVID

Dr Subhash Chandra told FIT , “One important thing is that after recovering from COVID, many people immediately resumed their old physical exercises with the same intensity as they used to do before COVID without realising how COVID has disrupted their (circulatory) system. With COVID, sometimes spontaneous clots are formed in the arteries of the brain and heart, due to which some people can suffer strokes. There have also been reports of heart attacks and deaths after COVID".

“During the Chardham Yatra this year, we have seen that there have been a lot more (heart attack related) deaths than in the previous years. Most of them were elderly people who had recovered from COVID. Those who were not tested for any kind before the Yatra and the hills lost his life due to altitude".

Dr Subhash Chandra

What Are The Precautions One Must Take To Prevent A Heart Attack?

"My advice is to be careful from a young age. We can only take precautions like a good lifestyle to avoid heart attack. A healthy lifestyle should become our habit. According to me, children should be taught the importance of healthy diet and physical exercise (both) at home and at school. (They) will get into the habit," says Dr Anjan Siotia.

Often people wake up after 60 years realising that their lives have flown by and that they haven't taken care of their health