14/02/2024
SUDDEN CARDIAC DEATH IN YOUNG ADULTS
Sudden cardiac death is an unexpected natural death from a cardiovascular cause that occurs within one hour of the onset of symptoms. The time and mode of death are unexpected, that is it can happen at anytime or place maybe when you are sleeping, playing football, watching football, eating, laughing, having s*x, etc.
It is important to note that people with life threatening heart conditions like worsening heart failure, ruptured aneurysms, pulmonary embolism, etc., are bound to have sudden cardiac death but our discussion today will be focused on people with no known history of cardiovascular diseases especially young adults that suddenly develop sudden cardiac death.
It is also important to note that sudden cardiac death is more prevalent in males than females. It is more likely to occur in young males than young females.
FACTORS THAT CAN LEAD TO SUDDEN CARDIAC DEATH.
1. Family History of Heart diseases : If your direct family members like father or mother have heart diseases, your chances of sudden cardiac death is increased.
2. Genetic heart disease: some persons are born with some heart deformities which may not be undiagnosed but with time as they age and mature. The heart starts to fail. The degree of the malformation will determine how early the complications will occur, some as early as 1 years while some 15 years or more.
3. Obesity: if you are overweight, your chances of sudden cardiac death is increased. High sugar diets and cholesterol is a recipe for disaster.
4. Alcoholism: chronic alcohol consumption leads to fibrosis of the heart muscles causing cardiomyopathy.
5. Drug abuse: Co***ne, m**hamphetamine, (mkpurummiri), cannabis, ni****ne, ecstasy, s*x enhancement medications and other recreational drugs severely increases the likelihood of sudden cardiac death in people
6. Self medications: some medications affect the normal conduction of the heart (QT prolongation) some antibiotics like penicillin, fluoroquinolones, Ciprofloxacin, levofloxacin, antidepressants and antihistamines, diuretics causing hypokalemia, etc. Some drug interactions can affect the normal conduction of the heart leading to sudden cardiac death.
7. Estrogen therapy: some female hormone medications increases your chances of blood clots forming in your blood. This blood clots can be big enough to block vital openings like the pulmonary arteries of lungs leading to cardiovascular collapse. For people transitioning from male to females, some birth control pills and fertility medications increases your chances of sudden cardiac failure.
8. Hypertension: undiagnosed and prolonged hypertension without control increases your risk of sudden cardiac arrest.
9. Diabetes: uncontrolled high blood sugar severely increases your risk of sudden cardiac deaths
10. Fainting episodes : unexplained fainting or blackouts, dizziness or stroke like symptoms increases your chances of surden cardiac death.
11. Heart diseases: if you are diagnosed of heart diseases, depending on the severity and management, your chances of sudden cardiac death
12. Sexually Transmitted infections like HIV, hepatitis, Herpes, Chlamydia,Gonorrhea, Cytomegalovirus; this infections when left untreated or poorly treated causes several types of heart diseases which can lead to sudden Cardiac Deaths.
13. Chest trauma (injury) or past accidents to the chest area may increase your chances of sudden cardiac death
FIVE MAIN CAUSES OF SUDDEN CARDIAC DEATHS
1. Fatal Arrhythmias: abnormal beating of the heart especially excessively very fast heartbeats. Normal heart beats are 60- 100 Beats per minute. Anything below too slow or above too fast that the heart fails. Drugs like co***ne and m**hamphetamines, electrolytes imbalance, medications, Chest trauma, Kidney failure.
2. Acute Myocardial Infarction: cholesterol or bad fats that lines the walls of the blood vessel may build up till they completely block the blood vessel supplying blood to the heart muscles or form thrombus that block this vessels. Once this happens, the surrounding heart muscles start to die off. It comes with a sharp or crushing pain to the heart as if a 6-inches block is on your chest.
3. Hemorrhagic or Ischemic Stroke: bursting of tiny blood vessels supplying blood to the brain. It can be due to persistent systemic hypertension, Obstruction of blood supply to the brain from an embolism, arteriosclerosis etc.
4. Pulmonary Embolism: here blood clots or thrombus from the veins can find their way to the lungs and obstruct the pulmonary arteries causing cardiopulmonary collapse. Immobilized or bedridden persons, Smokers, Estrogen medications and Vascular Injuries from accidents etc. it can also be genetic that is inherited.
5. Aortic Aneurysm: Aortic catastrophe mainly dissections or aneurysmal rupture can cause sudden cardiac death. This is caused mainly by long term comorbidities like Hypertension, high cholesterol and Smoking habits. The aorta which is the largest artery can protrude and rupture when the walls become weak from chronic vascular diseases.
SYMPTOMS OF SUDDEN CARDIAC DEATH
1. Chest pain
2. Chest pain that doesn’t allow you to sit down or lie down
3. Palpitations (feeling as if your heart is running)
4. Pounding heart sounds that you are aware that your heartbeat especially when you are not lying down
5. Dizziness
6. Fainting (syncope)
7. Disorientation ( suddenly talking rubbish)
8. Inability to talk properly ( talking like a baby still learning how to talk)
9. Inability to walk straight
10. Drooling of one side of the face or eye lids
11. Inability to walk or sudden weakness of the leg
12. Difficulty breathing especially from mild exertion like climbing the stairs, you feel like you are running out of breath
13. Fast heartbeats
14. Excessive sweating
15. Sudden nausea or vomiting episodes
16. Inability to keep the hands up
17. General body weakness
18. Hypertension and hypotension
19. Abdominal discomfort or ulcer like symptoms
20. Bulging neck veins ,etc.
21. Rapid breathing or uncontrollable breathing
22. Difficult sleeping especially in hypertensive patients
WHAT TO DO WHEN SOMEONE IS HAVING EMERGENCY CRISIS :
1. Critical symptoms like Crushing chest pain, disorientation, slurring speech, inability to hold there hand up or walk straight, sudden muscle weakness especially the legs and hand, sudden inability to stand up or walk, rapid fast breathing , involuntary eye balls rolling, dizziness
2. Know all the hospitals in your area, find out which hospitals has 24hours emergency services with a working defibrillator machine before time, most probably that expensive standard hospital.
3. Avoid incidence of rushing someone to a hospital only for the nurse on duty to shout “ doctor no dey” or for them to say Oxygen finish or defibrillator machine spoiled
4. In an emergency, when you notice the critical symptoms above, no need shouting Jesus or fanning the person rather rush the person to that standard hospital with a working defibrillator.
5. Start CPR immediately, if the person slumps, if an ambulance is on the way continue the CPR till the ambulance arrives, if there’s no ambulance used any m**hod of transportation, preferably car and continue CPR while in transit, though not ideal for effective CPR.
6. Don’t always wait, till the person fully slumps down before you start rushing them to hospital, immediately you noticed the critical symptoms mentioned above, start rushing the person to hospital. Early intervention is critical to survival rate.
7. Be our brother’s keeper, even he or she is a stranger to us. Please do the needful
PREVENTION OF SUDDEN CARDIAC DEATHS
It all boils down to our lifestyle choices, the type of food we eat and drink.
1. Avoid all processed foods like indomie, bread, donuts, sodas, fanta, malta, sharwarma, etc. opt for home cooked natural foods like yam porridge with vegetables, unripe plantains, boiled egg and plantains, beans, rice, different types of vegetable soup, fruits and more fruits.
2. Avoid always frying your foods or eating meats that have excess fats attached to them.
3. Routine medical checkups including heart ECG. Don’t wait till you are sick or notice any heart problems before going for checkups. Check your blood pressure, cholesterol and ECG.
4. Avoid energy drinks, s*x enhancement drugs, co***ne, m**h and other recreational drugs that can cause deadly arrhythmia of the heart.
5. Listen to your body, if you know you don’t have a strong heart avoid things or events that can cause undue stress and anxiety or panic attacks. When i was young as early as 15 years, everyone was chesting ball, the first time i tried it, i almost died and since then i learnt to respect myself, i do everything in football except to chest ball.
6. If you notice you have chest pain or some discomfort in your chest area, don’t go playing football or jogging with it, thinking it will stop rather go see your doctor.
7. If you are obesed, loose weight. Gyming alone won’t make you to lose weight except fasting and stop eating bread and other processed foods
8. If you are a smoke or an alcoholic, start working on yourself now.
9. Stop all forms of self medications, if you are sick go and see your doctor.
10. If you are on estrogen drugs, discuss with your doctors on the possible risks involved, and adhere to your drug regimen and ensure you abstain from everything you are asked to abstain from.
11. Practice safe s*x, be on PreP and take PeP in any emergency exposure during s*x within the next 72 hours after exposure, treat all STDs properly and completely
12. If you are diagnosed with any cardiovascular disease, please adhere to your drug regimen and adhere to the lifestyle changes as instructed
13. Routine medical checkup with blood pressure and Heart ECG cannot be overemphasized. Snap your ECG results and post here we will help interpret it for free.
14. Regular fasting and regular exercise is advisable. Eat fruit and stop all forms of sugar.
