Heart patients require extra caution, death by heart attack increased by 58% since Corona emerged: Padma Shri Dr. K.K Sethi

In a webinar by Ten News, Padma Shri Dr. K.K Sethi, CMD & Head of Cardiology at Delhi Heart and Lung Institute cautioned the heart patients to take extra care in times of COVID-19 as the chances of death by heart attack has increased by 58% since the emergence of the deadly disease.

He said that the heart patients are more vulnerable to the disease because they have lesser resistance and lesser immunity. Once the virus enters the body of a heart patient, it can cause severe damage by decreasing the power of heart to pump blood.

“Sugar and cancer patient should also take extra care and should not get out of their homes irrespective of their age.” Dr. Sethi added.

He also advised to restructure our lives and economics as the diseases is not going away soon and the social distancing will become a new norm of the society.

Another panelist, Dr. Abhinav Kumar, founder and principal dentist at Dental Xperts, said that COVID-19 can also spread due to excessive shedding from naval passage.

“We think the virus spreads only due to sneezing and coughing, but it also spread while we are talking. It can spread upto a distance of 1.5 meter.” Dr. Kumar said.

That is the reason why amongst the healthcare workers, the general practitioners are the biggest victims of the disease (as they are the first point contact) followed by emergency room doctors and then the dentists.

Even the psychiatrists are also vulnerable to the disease if there patients are not wearing mask.

The webinar was hosted by Dr. Siddharth Gupta, senior healthcare advisor at Anti Corona Task Force