Cold wave ‘deadly’ for those with heart conditions, say experts

The extreme cold weather conditions have started taking a toll on the health of the common manCases of heart attacks and strokes reported at different medical institutes have almost doubled in the past 15 daysExperts are cautioning individuals with hypertension heart conditions and the elderly to be vigilant as the cold weather may worsen the existing cardiovascular issuesAt King Georgersquos Medical University KGMU an increase in cases has been observed with approximately 1214 instances of stroke and 2025 cases of heart attacks being reported daily for the past 15 days This marks a 100 per cent increase compared to typical daysAt the Ram Manohar Lohia Institute of Medical Sciences RMLIMS the daily count has risen to eight to nine cases of heart attacks and 10 stroke cases up from four to five on regular daysNeurologist Prof Ravi Uniyal from KGMU said that while on normal days 67 cases of stroke used to be reported currently it has surged to 1214He emphasised that about 50 per cent of stroke and heart attack patients are unaware of their high blood pressure often neglecting hypertensive treatmentThe cold weather induces blood vessels to constrict elevating the risk of cardiovascular incidents with temperature affecting platelets and increasing the likelihood of clot formationldquoWhen this clot blocks blood flow to the brain a patient suffers a stroke Often when the vessel bursts due to hypertension it results in haemorrage Both the conditions could be deadlyrdquo he addedProf Pravesh Vishwakarma a faculty member at King Georgersquos Medical Universityrsquos cardiology department highlighted the heightened risk for individuals with cardiovascular issues citing the increased chances of heart attacks due to vessel constrictionHe recommended flu vaccine shots for highrisk individuals and emphasized lifestyle changes such as maintaining a healthy diet regular exercise and weight managementProf Bhuwan Chand head of cardiology at RMLIMS urged individuals to avoid sudden temperature changes dress warmly and undergo regular health checkups He emphasized that proactive measures both in terms of medical care and lifestyle adjustments are crucial to safeguard against the elevated risks posed by winterrsquos impact on cardiovascular healthThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever