Contradicting Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya’s advice to those who had suffered from COVID-19 infection to not exert themselves too much while exercising and to stay away from hard labour for some time, C.N. Manjunath, director of the State-run Sri Jayadeva Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences, said there is no scientific evidence to prove that COVID-affected should not exert themselves.
Exercise is important
Asserting that exercise is very important for maintaining good health, Dr. Manjunath said sedentary lifestyle is a risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. “Isotonic exercises such as walking, jogging, swimming, cycling and moderate work out at the gym is the general recommendation. However, it is essential to get a cardiac evaluation done before before signing up for a rigorous gym programme. This is to rule out any pre-existing asymptomatic cardiac disorders,” he said.
“Exercises at the gym should be based on the body weight and capacity of an individual. Any high intensity exercise should be stepped up in a phased manner. Gym goers should not compete with other gym mates in their work outs,” he said.
Heart attacks among young
Stating that the trend of increasing incidence of heart attacks among the young is being observed for the last 15 years, Dr. Manjunath said high-intensity exercise is not advisable, irrespective of COVID-infection. “Over 85% of the population in our country has been infected by COVID-19 and heart attacks among the young were also reported before the pandemic,” he said.
Explaining the cause of the heart attacks in the young, Dr. Manjunath said, “During a heart attack, a few unfortunate patients develop ventricular fibrillation (electrical instability) and cardiac arrest within a few minutes, giving them no time to reach a hospital or take treatment. This is because blood supply is cut off to the heart muscle.”
“This can happen when a plaque ruptures. Within a few minutes, blood clot formation occurs and the artery gets closed, resulting in heart attack. This comes without any warning signs,” Dr. Manjunath said.
Warning symptoms
On the contrary, those who develop a gradual blockage will have warning symptoms for weeks to months prior to a heart attack. “When a person collapses, resuscitation should be done in the first three to four minutes. It is advisable that all public places, including gyms, bus/railway stations, malls, and multiplexes should have an emergency room with staff trained in advanced cardiac life support,” he said.
