Experts caution young gym-goers about cardiac risks in summer heat
Times of India | 10 April 2025
KOLKATA: Fitness enthusiasts who love to sweat it out in the gym or go for long morning jogs have been warned to watch out for the rising heat and humidity, which could not only be energy-sapping but fatal as well.
Many succumb to ‘breathing blockage' or a sudden cardiac arrest, which strikes often in summer, especially during the early part of the season when the system is not yet acclimatised to the changed weather conditions, said doctors and experts.
Fortis Hospital cardio-thoracic surgeon K M Mandana said, "Fitness freaks and regular gym-goers often refuse to tone down their workouts, which can be risky when the weather turns hot. This is the time of the year when the temperature rises, and one tends to sweat a lot more while working out. So, we often come across young and healthy individuals who suffer a sudden cardiac arrest, even death, while exercising. This is triggered by electrolyte imbalance, which happens when you lose a lot of salt with sweat. Electrolyte imbalance can affect the electrical impulse of the heart and lead to arrhythmia, which is a sudden and serious cardiac event." He added that this is also referred to as "breathing blockage".
A section of youngsters have underlying, undiagnosed cardiac issues that could trigger a breathing blockage without warning, said Charnock Hospital internal medicine consultant Subhayan Bhattacharya.
"Conditions like arrhythmia and some congenital cardiac disorders often have muted symptoms that are ignored by the youth. It could be risky for this group to do strenuous workouts in changing weather conditions," Bhattacharya said.
While it is common for people in their 40's to develop cardiac issues, a lot of patients are now aged between 25 and 35. The number is growing each year, and more than 15% of Kolkata's cardiac patients are now below 40, they say.
Stress, smoking, unhealthy eating habits, and lack of physical exercise are the principal reasons behind cardiac problems striking early, according to doctors, who also point to undiagnosed diabetes as a trigger, said BM Birla Heart Hospital director of cardiology Anjan Siotia. Over-exercise or intense sessions at the gym could also lead to a sudden heart attack, he warned.
Young cardiac patients are apparently healthy individuals with a hectic but often unhealthy lifestyle, said Siotia. One of the reasons, Siotia said, behind cardiac patients getting younger is stress, which has now become an "important risk factor". "It now begins to take a toll from the teenage years. The pressure keeps rising as one progresses in life, and, by the time one reaches the late 20's, professional stress reaches a flashpoint. This is the reason why we have seen a spurt in the number of young cardiac patients in this age group," said Siotia.
"With the sudden change in weather, we need to take more salts, reduce and space out workouts, maintain electrolyte balance and don't overstrain," said Mandana.