New Delhi, 07 September 2020: The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM), one of the apex trade associations of India concluded the fifth edition of the ‘Illness to Wellness’ series themed ‘Heart Wellness During COVID-19’. The event saw an illustrious panel of cardiologists from across the country hold active dialogues on the best preventive measures to be taken for heart patients during COVID-19. The discussion saw the panellists put forth a plethora of measures like increasing safety precautions, eating right, exercising regularly and knowing when to reach out to doctors as symptoms develop for citizens to take up during the pandemic.

Supported by the hygiene brand SAVLON, the programme which promotes healthy living with focus on wellness and preventive health through healthy habits, diet, exercise, and holistic health saw the speakers discuss at great length why patients should not be scared to reach out to doctors or hospitals in fear of contraction, rather they should be on the lookout for symptoms other than fever to be for early detection of COVID-19.

Patients need to be aware of their normal heart rate:

Putting forth this suggestion, (Padma Shri) Dr. Mohsin Wali, Cardiologist and Former Physician to The President of India, said, “The most harmful feature of this virus is that it is uncertain. The virus either increases the heartbeat or decreases it, even if there is no fever. Patients need to be aware of their normal heart rate and any changes to it, they should inform their doctor.  The first symptom of this disease is no symptom. In some people I noticed they would get tired easily. At such a stage if we are alert then we can be prepared for further possible damages. In working young people, we sometimes notice changes in their chest, even if they received a COVID negative report the previous day. It is important that patients reach out to doctors immediately for any symptoms.”

Dr.Wali also stressed on the importance of reaching out for mental health support and the increased need for psychological counselling now and in future as he expects a surge in its demand owning to the distress caused by COVID-19. He further stressed on the importance of keeping lungs active and increasing their capacities by undertaking activities like blowing conch shells, balloons and whistles. It is not necessary that you develop symptoms like fever, cough or severe pneumonia and then call for help. These might be there, but when you start to feel slowness, exhaustion or reduced oxygen level then you should reach out to a doctor.”

Inflammations  can lead to heart attacks:

Highlighting the multiple ways in which the heart gets affected by COVID-19,  (Padma Bhushan) Dr. Ashok Seth, Chairman, Fortis Escorts Heart Institute and Chairman, Cardiology Council, Fortis Group of Hospitals, said, “There are multiple ways in which this virus attacks the heart. Clinical effecting of the heart can happen directly even in people with mild symptoms. The virus tends to form clots in the body. It is one of the ways in which virus attacks the body. It also forms inflammations which can lead to heart attacks. Formation of clots in young people in lungs can lead to severe breathlessness, low blood pressure and low oxygenations. The clotting tendency can even lead to stroke in young people. These are direct effects of the cardiovascular system. Inflammation can also affect the heart muscles leading to reduced pumping efficiency of the heart. The virus can also cause heart rate disturbances. There are multiple ways the heart gets affected by the virus. The more serious the patient gets, the more the heart gets affected.”

He further added that after a patient recovers from COVID-19 and gets discharged from hospital, they might suffer from After COVID Syndrome that will see majority of them suffer from symptoms like breathlessness, tiredness, exhaustion, joint paints, coughs or inefficiency in performing daily activities for weeks or months. For complete recovery, they might need support of cardiologists, internal medicine specialists, respiratory physicians, pulmonologists, physiotherapists and psychologist to be restored to life completely. He also emphasized that precaution on part of citizens needs to be heightened if not increased further despite the economy openingas India is currently on the upward slope of its COVID track and its peak is yet to be reached.

 Incorporate best diet in meals:

Laying out the best diet to incorporate in meals during COVID-19 for healthy living, (Padma Shri) Dr. K. K. Aggarwal, Cardiologist, Physician and Former President of the Indian Medical Association, said, “Balanced food should involve all seven colours and six tastes of food in moderation and variety along with a non-inflammatory diet. Food we have during fasting season is non-inflammatory and inflammatory ingredients are like sugar, rice, refined flour or oil. Anything refined is inflammatory and should be avoided. Take up a non-inflammatory diet and add all supplements that are lost by the virus.” He further added that for individuals who are prone to inflammations, COVID-19 if contracted, can be harmful as the virus has a tendency to accelerate inflammations in the body leading to increased health complications.

Supporting the discussion, Mr. Anil Rajput, Chairperson, ASSOCHAM CSR Council, said, “The Illness to Wellness series has been sharing expert opinions on how to take care of your mental and physical health during the pandemic. The Coronavirus has set forth a wide range of damages and challenges for the world that doctors and researches are still struggling to get a grasp on. Therefore, the old and golden adage of prevention is better than cure is something we should all follow. As iterated by the veteran doctors today, masks need to be strictly worn in public spaces with adequate distancing measures to keep ourselves safe. We hope that the expert measures shared by the eminent panellists enlightened the attendees and the insightful information shared equipped them to fight the virus proactively.”

Dr. Rajesh Kesari, Founder and Director, Total Care Control, acted as the moderator of the event and raised pertinent questions before the panellists to guide the discussion into a strong knowledge-sharing webinar. His smart manoeuvring of the discussions helped reap health foresights from the veteran cardiologists. Dr.Kesari summed up the discussion at the end by focusing on the importance of masks in our precautionary measures for both heart patients and healthy citizens.

The post Chest pain, exhaustion – don’t ignore these symptoms during this COVID-19 appeared first on Health Vision.

If you are experiencing a heart attack or stroke, contact your emergency response system immediately.  If you are with someone who is experiencing this symptom drive them to the hospital immediately.

• Central crushing chest pain
• Heavy sweating
• Nausea and/or vomiting
• Cold, clammy feeling hands
• Palpitations
• shortness of breath and lightheadedness
• Feeling of indigestion 
• Dizziness, weakness, and fainting
• Abdominal pain 

 Some of the known risk factors for heart attacks are:

• Tobacco Smoking: Smokers carry 3-6 fold greater risk of developing heart attack than a non-smoker. The Nicotine, Carbon monoxide and other poisonous substances in tobacco cause damage to the vessel wall, increase the Blood Pressure and increase the fatty acid level in the blood-all leading to enhanced atherosclerosis (hardening of vessels). They also increase the heart rate and cause irregularity of the heart beat which can lead to sudden death. Even passive smoking (you, a non-smoker, as a bystander inhaling tobacco smoke breathed out by a smoker) is considered equally damaging. Smoking beedies, cigars and pipes are as bad as Cigarette smoking. Chewing tobacco as well as using snuff is considered to be harmful.
• High Cholesterol: Increased level of cholesterol (Fat) in the blood increases the incidence of hardening of arteries and thus increases the chance of developing heart attack. Though the level of total cholesterol in the blood is important, it is more important to know the level of different types of cholesterol. Mainly there are two types of cholesterol which are concerned with atherosclerosis. They are LDL and HDL cholesterols.
• LDL Cholesterol level will increase by excessive consumption of fats derived from animal sources – cream of the milk, butter, ghee, ice cream, yolk of the egg, organ meats like liver, brain and kidney and shell fishes like prawn and crab. Coconut oil is equally bad. Vegetable oils like gingily oil and sun flower oil which contain high level of unsaturated fatty acids are preferable.
• HDL cholesterol is increased by regular physical exercise. Increasing the level of HDL cholesterol protects the heart.
• High Blood Sugar; Uncontrolled high blood sugar has also been shown to accelerate atherosclerosis. In addition, uncontrolled diabetics tend to be overweight and have high cholesterol, all of which further increase the risk for heart attack.
• High Blood Pressure: Poor control of blood pressure tends to increase the deposit of fat in blood vessels. Not only coronary blood vessels are affected but also there is increased incidence of damage to blood vessels of brain (leading to stroke) and kidney (leading to kidney failure). High blood pressure also leads to enlargement of heart.
• Overweight: Incidence of heart attack is high in individuals who are overweight. Excess of weight is usually due to too much of rich food (rich in fat and sugar) and too little of exercise. This leads to increased cholesterol in the blood and also increased incidence of atherosclerosis.
• Sedentary Habit: It is a well known fact that physically active people like athletes have less chance of developing a heart attack. Equally well known is that a sedentary person has a higher chance of getting heart attack. Sedentary habit leads to deconditioning (Heart is unable to cope up with stress) and obesity, and also less burning of fat leading to high blood cholesterol.
• Emotional stress and strain can also enhance atherosclerosis. Individuals who are always tense, aggressive and who would like to achieve things in a hurry are more prone for heart attacks. These individuals are known to have type of behavioural pattern. A person who is calm, philosophical and takes things in his stride is known to live longer.
• Women are normally protected against heart attacks, till they attain menopause. However this protection is lost if they use oral contraceptive pills for a long time and smoke tobacco.
• Hereditary factor: If anyone in a family had heart attack, especially at an young age, the chances of an individual in that family suffering a heart attack is high. Such individuals who are at high risk, should avoid such modifiable risk factors like smoking, sedentary habit and high fat intake. They should start their periodic checkups at much earlier age.

The process of hardening of the blood vessels can start as early as the second decade (15 to 20 years of age). Hence it is important to start the preventive measures at an early age.

 Steps for prevention of heart attack

• Smoking cessation
• Blood pressure control
• Good Blood sugar control
• Weight management
• Achieve recommended lipid levels
• Regular Exercise / Diet / De-stress

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