Of late, the cases of sudden cardiac arrest even among women are on the rise due to unhealthy lifestyles and extreme stress. Most of the working women hardly manage time for a daily workout. Less physical activity, Long working hours, sleep deprivation due to the use of smartphones at home for long periods, high consumption of junk food daily, extreme stress owing to imbalance between professional and personal life, excessive consumption of alcohol and smoking to beat stress are making women more vulnerable to health conditions leading to episodes of sudden cardiac arrest. These health conditions include diabetes, high blood pressure, cholesterol, Obesity etc. In some cases, inherited heart conditions can also contribute to cardiac arrest.
Sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) is the abrupt loss of heart function. It occurs due to an electrical malfunction in the heart, which disrupts the heart’s natural pumping activity. The heart beats very rapidly and chaotically thus is unable to pump blood throughout the body. It is often fatal because the electrical disturbance inhibits the blood flow in the body.Without oxygen-rich blood to the brain and other organs, the organs fail within minutes, resulting in death. Shortness of breath, and fluttering of the heart are the most prominent symptoms for women 24 hours before a cardiac arrest whereas chest pain is the dominant symptom for men. It is estimated that about 7-lakh deaths due to sudden cardiac arrest occur in India every year.
