Lifestyle & less physical activity lead to heart ailments among teenagers: Experts  

Tuesday, 02 April 2024 | PNS | DEHRADUN

 A combination of factors like sedentary lifestyle, genetics and lack of physical activity could be contributing to heart ailments among teenagers. They said this following a recent incident in Rudrapur involving the sudden death of a 15-year-old boy while jogging, with doctors suspecting cardiac arrest as the primary cause. Considering this, experts pointed out that rather than a cardiac arrest, the irregularity of the heart’s rhythm due to exertion may have been a crucial factor leading to his demise.

Talking to The Pioneer on the matter, an associate professor and Cardiologist at Government Doon Medical College (GDMC) Dr Amar Upadhyay said that based on the incident, he did not believe that a heart attack was the main cause of death. Instead, he believed that the irregularity of the individual’s heartbeat was caused by the exertion during jogging, which led to their eventual death. He said that while instances of heart ailments in children are on the rise, cases related to congenital heart issues are more commonly encountered. Apart from this few cases of heart ailments have been observed among people due to changes in their lifestyle and lack of physical activity, he added.

“Symptoms of heart ailments, whether by birth or due to lifestyle include chest pain, shortness of breath and unconsciousness. Early prevention and treatment can cure individuals from adverse effects,” said Upadhyay.

Regarding the incident, he also mentioned that teenagers or individuals of any age must remember to do a warm-up before any exercise and take the talk test to prevent irregular heartbeats and cardiac arrest, which can lead to adverse effects, he added.

Further, senior consultant Physician and non-invasive cardiologist Dr Sanjay Kumar Varun said that the recent incident may have been caused by heart rate fluctuations rather than a cardiac arrest. He emphasised that cases of heart ailments among children and teenagers have increased due to various factors including poor lifestyle choices, consumption of junk food and environmental factors. Additionally, some cases among children have been reported as genetic. To prevent heart ailments among children and teenagers, he recommended that parents ensure their children have a healthy diet plan, rather than consuming fast food. Consuming fruits can also help prevent children from developing early heart ailments, he added.  Further, Varun added that teenagers should make sure to warm up before exercising and limit their exercise to avoid facing similar incidents.