Post the Covid, we have witnessed an alarming increase on heart attack, especially among the young men who are otherwise fit and even attending regular gym sessions. A recent study also found that heart attacks in people ages 25 to 44 increased by 30% compared to the expected number over the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic. How do we protect our self from any undiagnosed heart issues? On the wake of World Heart Day, we spoke to Dr CG Suresh, Consultant Cardiologist at International Hospital Salmiya as they are gearing up to offer exclusive heart checkup on September 29th and October 6th for the Indian community.

Dr CG Suresh, MD, FRCP (London) is a Consultant Cardiologist at International Hospital, Opp City Centre, Salmiya. He has 35 years of experience in cardiology as a consultant and was a former Consultant Cardiologist at NHS England, Manchester, UK. Dr CG Suresh also worked as Consultant Cardiologist at Mubarak Hospital, Kuwait

IIK: What is the burden of heart diseases in the post Covid (Corona) era?

Dr CG Suresh: We have all gone through a really troublesome period for the last couple of years with covid affecting almost all aspects of our life including health, jobs, economy and you name it. In particular, it has left us with a huge burden of heart problems because of three reasons.

1. In many patients who had pre-existing risk factors like diabetes/hypertension/high cholesterol or heart disease, covid infection has accelerated development of blocks in the heart blood vessels. This applies to symptomatic or asymptomatic (patient who had covid but no symptoms) covid

2. Many patients with risk factors and heart disease did not consult doctors during the covid era, because of lack of access to hospital or they did not consult doctors for the fear of getting Covid infection from hospital. This has resulted in a very high number of people with heart disease who were not diagnosed or treated properly

3. Covid affected the heart in many ways and remains undiagnosed, unless they do heart tests. Covid causes damage to heart muscle, blood vessels and lining of the heart.

IIK: Which are the ways in which Covid may have affected the Heart?

Dr CG: COVID-19 is associated with multiple direct and indirect heart complications. The severe inflammatory burden related to cytokine release, can induce vascular inflammation. This results in myocarditis (destruction of heart muscle, which can lead to heart failure), arrhythmias (heart rhythm abnormality), coronary inflammation (can lead to heart attacks) venous thromboembolism (blood clot in veins), and metabolic syndrome (predispose to heart disease).

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IIK: What are the symptoms to look for?

Dr CG: The important thing to remember is that you never know whether your heart was affected with covid. In the post covid era people should be on the lookout for feeling of speeding of heart, chest pain or breathing problems. Many may not have these symptoms also. So, it is important to undergo the necessary tests for the heart.

IIK: What if my heart is affected and I do not check?

Dr CG: You may have heard of many cases of patients developing heart attack after exercise etc. This is because the covid caused inflammation of the inside of heart blood vessels, which can trigger heart attacks. If not checked, the disease can also progress resulting in heart failure or heart attacks.

IIK: How can I find out whether my heart is affected?

Dr CG: Cardiologists can do an echocardiogram (heat scan) and an exercise ECG to find out. We at International hospital combine the above two test to do stress echocardiogram, which is more accurate in detecting heart problems. In some cases, patients may also need ambulatory heart monitoring.

IIK: What to do; if the tests find that my heart is affected?

Dr CG: Medicine has advanced so much that there is treatment for almost all heart diseases. We can prevent any affection of the heart from progressing to heart failure or heart attack; provided we detect them early. Early detection of heart disease is the most important.

IIK: What are the options to conduct these test at International Hospital?

Dr CG: As part of the World Heart Day, we at International Hospital is conducting a Cardiac checkup and consultation at a highly discounted price for all who are interested. This is exclusively on Friday, 29th September and on Friday 6th October 2023. We have a full-fledged Cardiology department here at International Hospital. Whoever interested can always contact us on phone or WhatsApp to 965-1817771 and book this test.

IIK: We often love to believe that nothing will happen to us. So who should attend this exclusive checkup without a miss?

Dr CG: I would say, anybody who is above 40 years of old must conduct this test. As I mentioned earlier, there may not be any symptoms until one day it affect our heart badly. Many people will have inflammation of the inside of heart blood vessels, which may not be symptomatic. So it is better for everyone to conduct this test once in a while. We at International hospital is providing this exclusive offer on September 29th and October 6th at our facility with a highly discounted price so that more of our community members can get the benefit out of this.

Reducing the risk of heart disease requires a comprehensive approach that addresses awareness, healthy lifestyles and risk factor management. It is time to recognize and address all these aspects and work towards a healthier future for all. It is important to make use of these type of Health Checkup packages, which benefits the entire community.

To know more about the Heart checkup package by International Hospital, click www.indiansinkuwait.com/campaign/IH/ .