Running Marathon without training puts Heart health at risk in Metro cities

Mumbai- Retired Government officer Mr. Bhise, a 59 years’ old who was jogging at Marine Drive in Mumbai died of a heart attack last week. He was a resident of Navi Mumbai and he had come to the Marine Drive area to practice for the upcoming Marathon. Not all participants in the Marathon are professionals but most participants are amateurs. They participate to test their physical abilities. Some participants are there not to win, but to finish. Nowadays, people are seen participating in marathon and semi-marathon events in large numbers specially above 60 plus age group. In the next 2 months Many marathon events will be organized in all over India specially in Metro & mini Metro cities. There have been many deaths in the marathon and half marathon in recent times. It seems unbelievable. The question arises when physical activity is prescribed to keep fit, why do runners die while running?

Giving more information about Marathon run & Heart diseases Dr. Tamiruddin Danwade, Interventional Cardiologist and Cardiac Surgeon from Terna Specialty Hospital and Research Center said, ” Two years before 7 Participants Suffered Heart Attack, One Dead During Mumbai Marathon. About 52 percent of the cases of cardiac arrest in Marathon races are diagnosed with cardio-myopathy, which means the heart muscle is excessively large.  This disease is genetic and hereditary. It is attributed to a genetic abnormality in the back of the heart, known as hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. In this condition, a part of our heart muscle becomes fat and there is difficulty in pumping blood, due to trouble in the blood pump, the person falls during the race. It has been found that in hot countries like India, runners often lose water through sweating and exhalation. Air pollution and a sudden temperature change can lead to a heart attack. Running without adequate training is the biggest mistake one should avoid. After getting a clearance from your physician, join a proper running group with a qualified trainer. Start slow and build up gradually.” 

Talking about today’s modern lifestyle and Heart Disease, Dr. Sanjay Tarlekar Cardiologist & Director of Shushrusha Heart Care centre and Specialty Hospital from Nerul said, “Many retirees citizens take part in mini-marathons and full marathons because of the extra time they have and start training one to one-and-a-half months in advance, but do not check whether their heart is fit for running. Electrocardiogram and echocardiography can detect heart disease. Some of these tests are done before the Marathon or other competitions. Therefore, sudden death rates are low during such competitions. The heart needs more oxygen during running. The heart stops because the blood vessels narrow during running. So if we do a stress test before a running race, the medical study suggests that it can be beneficial. It is advisable to get a detailed health evaluation such as blood sugar level, BP, cardiac check-up, lipid numbers and HbA1c for Senior citizens.