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By:

Quaid Najmi

4 January 2025 at 3:26:24 pm

Cold wave triggers spike in cardiac arrests

Mumbai : As winter temperatures go for a spin across the country, hospitals are witnessing a significant surge of around 25-30 pc in cardiac emergencies, a top cardiologist said.   According to Interventional Cardiologist Dr. Hemant Khemani of Apex Group of Hospitals, cold air directly affects how the heart functions.   “Low temperatures make blood vessels tighten. When the arteries narrow, blood pressure shoots up and the heart has to work harder to push the blood through the stiffened...

Cold wave triggers spike in cardiac arrests

Mumbai : As winter temperatures go for a spin across the country, hospitals are witnessing a significant surge of around 25-30 pc in cardiac emergencies, a top cardiologist said.   According to Interventional Cardiologist Dr. Hemant Khemani of Apex Group of Hospitals, cold air directly affects how the heart functions.   “Low temperatures make blood vessels tighten. When the arteries narrow, blood pressure shoots up and the heart has to work harder to push the blood through the stiffened vessels,” said Dr. Khemani.   Elaborating on the direct effects of cold air on heart functioning, he said that low temperatures make blood vessels tighten, when arteries narrow, blood pressure shoots up and the heart must work harder to push blood through stiffened vessels.   Winter also thickens the blood, increasing the likelihood of clot formation and these combined effects create a dangerous ‘demand-supply mismatch’ for oxygen, especially in people with existing heart conditions.   This trend has caused concern among cardiologists as it adds to India’s already heavy cardiovascular diseases burden – with nearly one in four deaths linked to heart and blood vessel problems.   Dr. Khemani said that sudden temperature transitions - from warm rooms to chilly outdoors - can put additional strain on the heart and risks. “This abrupt shift loads the cardiovascular system quickly, raising the risk of a sudden (cardiac) event among vulnerable individuals.”   Lifestyle Patterns Added to these are the changes in lifestyle patterns during winter month that further amplify the danger. Most people reduce physical activities, eat richer foods, and often gain weight all of which combine to raise cholesterol levels, disrupt blood-sugar balance and push up blood pressure.   Complicating matters for the heart are the social gatherings during the cold season that tends to bring higher intake of smoking and alcohol, said Dr. Khemani.   Recommending basic preventive measures, Dr. Khemani said the chest, neck and hands must be kept warm to prevent heat loss, maintain a steady body temperature and reduce the chances of sudden blood pressure spikes, a low-salt diet, home-cooked meals, shot indoor walks post-eating, adequate hydration and at least seven hours of sleep.   He warns against ignoring warning signals such as chest discomfort, breathlessness, unexplained fatigue, or sudden sweating, pointing out that “early medical care can significantly limit heart damage and improve survival.”   The rise in winter heart risks is not unique to India and even global health agencies like World Health Federation and World Health Organisation report similar patterns.   The WHF estimates that more than 20 million people die of heart-related causes each year - equal to one life lost every 1.5 seconds, and the WHO has listed heart disease as the world’s leading cause of death for five consecutive years.   Seniors affected more by winter chills  Cold weather can hit the heart at any age, but the risk is noticeably higher for men aged above  45 and in women after 55, with the highest danger curve in people over 60, and elders with co-morbidities and history of heart diseases.   “People with existing cardiac problems face greater trouble in winter as the heart has to work harder. Even those without known heart disease can sometimes experience winter heart attacks, as chilly conditions may expose hidden blockages or trigger problems due to sudden exertion, heavy meals, smoking or dehydration,” Dr. Khemani told  ‘ The Perfect Voice’ .   However, contrary to perceptions, cold-weather heart issues have no connection to the COVID-19 vaccine, nor is there any scientific evidence linking the two, he assured.

BJP sweeps Haryana civic polls, Congress faces crushing defeat

  • PTI
  • Mar 12
  • 2 min read

Updated: Mar 13

BJP wins seven mayoral posts, leads in two more, as Congress struggles to regain ground


Haryana


Chandigarh: The BJP's mayoral candidates registered emphatic victories in seven municipal corporations in Haryana on Wednesday while its nominees were leading in two other civic bodies in the recently held elections.


The Congress, which was looking to turn around its electoral fortunes after suffering a defeat in the 2024 Assembly polls, had to bite the dust.


Polls to elect mayors and ward members in seven municipal corporations -- Gurugram, Manesar, Faridabad, Hisar, Rohtak, Karnal and Yamunanagar -- were held on March 2. The bypolls for the mayoral posts in Ambala and Sonipat and the elections for presidents and ward members in 21 municipal committees were also held that day.


For the Panipat Municipal Corporation, polling was held on March 9 to elect the mayor and 26 councillors.


According to the results and trends available for the mayoral posts, BJP candidates registered emphatic wins in Ambala, Faridabad, Gurugram, Hisar, Karnal, Rohtak and Sonipat, defeating their nearest Congress rivals.


The ruling party's candidates were in a comfortable lead in Yamunanagar and Panipat.


In Manesar, where municipal elections were held for the first time, Independent candidate Inderjeet Yadav won. She defeated her nearest BJP rival Sunder Lal by a margin of 2,293 votes.


In the outgoing municipal corporations, BJP had its mayors in eight of the 10 civic bodies.


Nikhil Madaan was the Sonipat mayor and a Congress leader. Ahead of the 2024 Assembly polls, he joined the BJP and won the Sonipat Assembly seat. In Ambala municipal corporation, Shakti Rani Sharma was the mayor as a Haryana Janchetna Party leader. She too joined the BJP ahead of the assembly polls and won the Kalka Assembly seat. The other municipal corporations where polling was held had BJP mayors.


The mayoral candidates who registered victories with big margins included the BJP's Faridabad nominee Parveen Joshi who won by over 3 lakh votes and Raj Rani from Gurugram who won by over 1.79 lakh votes.


Other notable winners included senior BJP leader Rajiv Jain who won from Sonipat and Renu Bala Gupta from Karnal.


Extensive arrangements have been made by the Haryana State Election Commission in coordination with the district administrations concerned to ensure smooth conduct of the counting process, officials said.


The civic polls dealt a blow to the Congress which saw workers and leaders in districts switching over to the BJP ahead of the elections.


The party state unit has, in the past, been faced with infighting and factionalism unlike the BJP, which has a well-organised and strong organisational structure at the grassroots level.


Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini recently exuded confidence that the BJP would win the civic polls, saying that work would be done three times faster after the formation of a "triple-engine" government, a reference to the saffron party being in power at the Centre, the state and the civic bodies.

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