Young Runner Dies of Sudden Cardiac Arrest During Delhi Half-Marathon; Doctor Warns Men at Higher Risk

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33-year-old participant at a recently held half-marathon in New Delhi died of sudden cardiac arrest on Sunday, according to news reports. Mohammad Zafarul Haque is said to have collapsed near the finish line in the morning hours, where he was running along with hundreds of others. As the incident got noticed by medical personnel stationed along the course, he was given immediate assistance, which included cardiopulmonary resuscitation or CPR, along with Advanced Cardiac Life Support or ACLS. However, eyewitnesses said the medical team found Haque to be unresponsive with no palpable pulse. Later, Haque was immediately transported directly to the hospital, but could not be revived.

Why did Haque have a cardiac arrest?

According to experts, even though the incidence of cardiac arrest in a long-distance running event is low, there can be many factors why Haque suffered from the condition. “Males are much more likely to suffer sudden cardiac arrest in these races than females. The incidence is around 1.12 per 100,000 in men vs 0.19 per 100,000 in women,” Dr Sudhir Kumar, a Hyderabad-based neurologist, wrote on social media website, X. “Lack of adequate conditioning or abrupt increase in training intensity could increase risk, but even experienced runners have risk,” he added. Men are more likely to have sudden cardiac arrest than women due to a combination of many biological and lifestyle factors, which include higher rates of smoking and alcohol consumption, the impact of stress, genetic predispositions like accumulating more harmful visceral fat, and lower levels of protective estrogen in premenopausal women. Men tend to develop atherosclerotic coronary artery disease, or a buildup of plaque in the arteries, about a decade earlier than most women. Experts believe it makes them more vulnerable to heart events during strenuous activities like running. Experts also say that even though testosterone is a male hormone, studies show that a decrease in its levels as you age is associated with an increase in cardiovascular risk. Also, men tend to store more harmful visceral fat around their organs - linked to increased risk of hypertension, diabetes, and other risk factors for heart disease. Other than this, genetic and hereditary factors also contribute to men having a higher risk of heart disease.

What is sudden cardiac arrest?

Cardiac arrest happens when your heart either stops beating or beats so fast that it stops pumping blood. During cardiac arrest, people collapse and become unresponsive, and their symptoms can start without any warning. This is why people also call it sudden cardiac arrest. This life-threatening condition can become fatal if you don’t get immediate treatment. During cardiac arrest, your heart does not pump blood anymore. Within minutes, this puts your organs and whole body at risk of death because they must constantly receive oxygen. Your blood delivers that oxygen. Right before you faint, you may have symptoms like:

• Chest pain
• Nausea and vomiting
• Breathlessness