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Shefali Jariwala of ‘Kaanta Laga’ and Big Boss fame dies of sudden cardiac arrest, say reports: Why women in their 40s are a high-risk group

There are many stressors that a woman faces. So even an apparently fit person can be vulnerable

Shefali Jariwala cardiac arrest in young women

Shefali Jariwala’s death underscores the rising risk of cardiac arrest among young women. (File Photo)

Actor-performer Shefali Jariwala, who made music videos all about a pop culture statement with Kaanta Laga and featured in the reality show Big Boss, has died of sudden cardiac arrest at age 42. Her family and husband did rush her to hospital but she could not be revived. This young death once again highlights the need to focus on heart attacks in younger women with as much seriousness as those in older, post-menopausal women.

A sudden cardiac arrest means a sudden shutdown of the heart’s electrical impulses caused by irregular heartbeats. The heart abruptly stops pumping blood, causing a lack of oxygen to the brain and other vital organs. The person dies if not attended to in minutes.

“For long, women in the reproductive age group were thought to be safe as their hormone estrogen is believed to be cardio-protective. But now there are many stressors that a woman faces that raise her risks. So even an apparently fit person can be vulnerable. In fact, there was a time when we cardiologists never thought that heart attacks in young women would be common. Now that the incidence is high, we investigate every complaint of chest pain,” says Dr Balbir Singh, chairman and head, cardiology, Max Healthcare.

WHAT ARE TRIGGERS IN YOUNGER WOMEN?

He highlights how smoking and vaping can increase the risk of heart attacks in women by 34 per cent. “E-cigarettes contain nicotine which increases heart rate and BP. Then there are substance abuse and frequent popping of oral contraceptive pills, which elevate blood pressure and even change blood fats, lowering high-density lipoprotein (HDL) or good cholesterol and elevating low density lipoprotein (LDL) or bad cholesterol,” says Dr Singh.

Risk factors like diabetes and abnormal cholesterol impact women more than men. Studies have shown that diabetic men have a two to three-fold increased risk of heart disease, while diabetic women have a three to seven-fold increased risk. “I always insist that women’s markers on blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar must be on the lower side of the healthy range,” says Dr Singh.

An often overlooked risk factor among today’s multi-tasking women is stress. Sudden acute stress, both emotional and physical, can rapidly weaken the heart muscle. “This stimulates production of adrenaline and cortisol, which result in inflammation and subsequent constriction of arteries. This also accelerates plaque formation and blood clots, leading to an unstable angina, heart attack, arrhythmia and sudden cardiac arrest,” says Dr Singh.

Most women in their 40s and 50s, if having high BP, blood sugar and cholesterol, tend to develop a tear in their heart vessels called spontaneous coronary artery dissection. “This could lead to blockages, disruption of blood flow, irregular heartbeats and subsequently cardiac arrest,” says Dr Singh.

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Sometimes dehydration, when body salts go down, especially potassium and magnesium, can trigger very fatal rhythm disturbances and cause a cardiac arrest.

WHAT ABOUT PREVENTION

Dr Singh has seen that most women patients report late and do not experience typical chest pain which makes early diagnosis and treatment difficult. “Compared to men, they tend to ignore preventive heart-check-ups unless they are post-menopause. That’s why a lot of underlying conditions go undetected,” says Dr Singh.

QUICK CHECK

A woman’s waist circumference should not be more than 85 cm, triglycerides should not be more than 150 mg/dL, HDL or good cholesterol should not dip below 50 mg/dL, blood pressure should not be more than 130/85 mmHg and fasting blood sugar should no way go higher than 110 mg/dL.