Children aged 14 and 8 – a boy and a girl – are among the five people who died of heart attack within 25 days in Uttar Pradesh’s Aligarh.
Mamata Chaudhary, of Arana village, used to go on a daily run as she was preparing for a physical test for a constable’s job in the state police. On November 23, while running in the morning, she suffered a heart attack and collapsed. She was 20. The doctors at the JN medical college said that she died of a heart attack.
“She had covered some 4-5 rounds of the ground. Thereafter, she collapsed on the ground,” said Jaykumar, Mamata’s brother.
Mohit Chaudhary, from Sirauli village, was a student of Class 6. The 14-year-old boy was preparing for the annual sports day competition. During a practice run on Friday, he suffered a heart attack and died soon after.
On Sunday, eight-year-old Diksha, a Lodhi Nagar resident, while playing with her friends suffered a heart attack and died.
Earlier on November 5, pediatrician Dr Lavnish Aggarwal went for his regular morning walk and returned home. As he was getting ready for work, he had a heart attack and died.
Twenty-nine-year-old Saiyad Barkat Haider died in his sleep on November 20. The reason: a massive heart attack.
“He slept at night and when I did not hear him snore, I checked up on him. I realised he is dead. The doctors said he died of a heart attack,” said Ahmad Mustafa Siddiqui, a cousin of Saiyad Barkat Haider.
A city cardiologist said that cases of heart attacks have increased since the pandemic.
“In the last two to three years after Covid, it has been seen that cases of heart attacks have increased among young people. Stress was a big factor in such patients,” said Dr Asar Kamal, Cardiologist, Kamal Heart Care Centre in Aligarh.
Aligarh’s Chief Medical Officer Neeraj Tyagi did not elaborate on the deaths but stressed on taking precautions.
Professor M Rabbani, of the Aligarh Muslim University, said deaths by cardiac arrest has increased by 22% over the last 20 years.
“If any healthy person dies within an hour, it is called sudden cardiac arrest. It has increased by 22 percent in the last 20 years. Mostly this reason is heart attack. However, some children have congenital heart disease. If it is not examined, further damage may occur. If a child complains of shortness of breath and chest pain, it should be examined immediately,” said professor M Rabbani, Aligarh Muslim University.
“The Indian Council of Medical research conducted a study. There was no increase in sudden cardiac arrest due to vaccination, according to the data. But those who were seriously affected by Covid, the chances of heart attack increases in them. Such people must get themselves screened, which consists of some minor tests,” the professor added.
(With inputs from Adnan Khan)
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