PANAJI: According to a study conducted by the Centre for Wellness & Healthy Living, having units in Margao and Mumbai, about 35 to 37 percent Goans in the age group of 35 to 55 could have suffered silent heart attacks and could be oblivious to the same, presuming they have a strained shoulder or chest muscle or any other ailment, except for an actual heart attack.
According to Dr Pranav Kabra of the Raksha Hospital Research Centre, who authored and settled the final report of the study for the Centre for Wellness & Healthy Living, “during the lockdown in 2020 and 2021, many Goans were leading a sedentary and lazy lifestyle, with reduced physical movements or sleeping for much longer periods every day. However, in spite of their lack of exercise their consumption of cholesterol-rich foods like meats, sugars, alcohol, tobacco products including smoking had not reduced, leading to hundreds of cases of unknown silent heart attacks among Goans.”
Cardiac disease is the major killer in Goa, while cancer is the next in line. During the Covid pandemic of course, many people died due to Covid-related ailments.
“A majority of deaths among the male Goan population above the age of 35, are either due to cardiovascular ailments, diabetes or alcohol-related liver diseases – all eventually connected to alcohol consumption, smoking and heavy intake of non-vegetarian, cholesterol-rich food,” Dr Kabra opines.
Obesity is a significant and growing disease in the Goan populace, making it a silent killer along with diabetes and cardiac disease, he said.
What is a silent heart attack?
A silent heart attack is a heart attack that has very few, or no symptoms or has symptoms not recognized as those of a heart attack. A silent heart attack may not cause chest pain or shortness of breath or sweating, which are typically associated with a heart attack by most people.
Those who suffer a silent heart attack may presume they have a heartburn, a flu or a strained chest or shoulder muscle. However, a silent heart attack, like any heart attack, involves blockage of blood flow to the heart and possible damage to the heart muscle and is almost as dangerous as a normal heart attack.
