NEWS:
It has been written about many times in the media over the years how such and such a person has been out running/jogging/swimming (or whatever their sport may be) and dropped down dead from a 'heart attack'.
How serious is this though and should it stop us from exercising?
The benefits of exercise actually outweigh the possible occurrence of what has been termed Sudden Cardiac Death(SCD). Dr Ching Chi Keong, a senior consultant with the Department of Cardiology and co-director of Electrophysiology and Pacing at National Heart Centre Singapore (NHCS) states that the perceived belief that strenuous exercise is fatal is wrong. He then went on to say that before dying suddenly, almost half of all patients had triple vessel disease, where all three of the blood vessels supplying the heart muscle had blocks.
Another senior doctor, Dr David Foo, head and consultant of the cardiology department at Tan Tock Seng Hospital agreed with the statements stating that SCD during exercise is estimated at only 1 per 10,000 incidents per year. He went on to say the most common causes of SCD in the under 60s was due congenital or hereditary abnormalities in the heart, blood vessels or heart rhythm disorders which all increase the risk of SCD during exercise.
Some of the warning signs? Dr. Ching said that if there are chest pains for more than 5 mins after exertion and it is accompanied by shortness of breath, jaw ache, shoulder ache or cold sweats it is important to receive medical attention.
The key to survival after collapse is early defibrillation, this should be done as early as possible, as apparently for each minute of delay before defibrillation reduces the chances of survival by about 10 per cent.
original article
It has been written about many times in the media over the years how such and such a person has been out running/jogging/swimming (or whatever their sport may be) and dropped down dead from a 'heart attack'.
How serious is this though and should it stop us from exercising?
The benefits of exercise actually outweigh the possible occurrence of what has been termed Sudden Cardiac Death(SCD). Dr Ching Chi Keong, a senior consultant with the Department of Cardiology and co-director of Electrophysiology and Pacing at National Heart Centre Singapore (NHCS) states that the perceived belief that strenuous exercise is fatal is wrong. He then went on to say that before dying suddenly, almost half of all patients had triple vessel disease, where all three of the blood vessels supplying the heart muscle had blocks.
Another senior doctor, Dr David Foo, head and consultant of the cardiology department at Tan Tock Seng Hospital agreed with the statements stating that SCD during exercise is estimated at only 1 per 10,000 incidents per year. He went on to say the most common causes of SCD in the under 60s was due congenital or hereditary abnormalities in the heart, blood vessels or heart rhythm disorders which all increase the risk of SCD during exercise.
Some of the warning signs? Dr. Ching said that if there are chest pains for more than 5 mins after exertion and it is accompanied by shortness of breath, jaw ache, shoulder ache or cold sweats it is important to receive medical attention.
The key to survival after collapse is early defibrillation, this should be done as early as possible, as apparently for each minute of delay before defibrillation reduces the chances of survival by about 10 per cent.
original article
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