Pakistani Coke Studio singer Haniya Aslam dies of cardiac arrest at 39: What causes it in women in their 40s?

So what are the conditions that cause sudden cardiac arrest in young women?

Undiagnosed hypertropic obstructive cardio myopathy (HCOM): “This is a genetic condition in which heart muscles thicken. This obstructs blood flow over time. The thickened part of the heart muscle, usually the wall (septum) between the two bottom chambers (ventricles), blocks the blood flow from the left ventricle to the aorta. There is also a non-obstructive cardiomyopathy but women tend to be born with the obstructive type more,” says Dr Chandra.

Arrhythmia: The average heart rate for adult women is 78 to 82 beats per minute, though the “normal” range is between 60 to 100 beats per minute. A heart rate above 100 beats per minute is trouble. As Dr Chandra says, younger women with a genetic condition are prone to developing certain kinds of arrhythmia or irregular heartbeats. “Women could have the Brugada syndrome, which causes irregular heart rhythms that can lead to sudden death. Some women could be prone to ventricular fibrillation, an irregular heart rhythm affecting your lower chambers or ventricles. The heart can’t pump enough oxygen-rich blood to the rest of the body, including the rest of the heart and the brain. When this condition is prolonged, it can cause Long Q-T syndrome (LQTS), a condition in which your heart takes longer than usual to send an electrical signal through the ventricles,” he says.

Spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD): This happens to women in their 40s and 50s because of a tear in a blood vessel of the heart even if they do not have traditional risk factors like high blood pressure, high cholesterol, obesity or diabetes. “There is irregular growth of cells in the artery walls, weakening them. This could lead to blockages and aneurysm. This can also cause high blood pressure, tears in other blood vessels and accelerate clotting, leading to a heart attack. The heart attack itself could then interrupt with electrical impulses in the heart,” says Dr Chandra. “Women may be at a higher risk of losing heart muscle during an undiagnosed SCAD event. Or they may have a small tear in their artery that goes undetected for years till it leads to a blockage or heart arrhythmia,” he adds.

Dehydration: He also points out how severe dehydration, when body salts go down, especially potassium and magnesium, can trigger very fatal rhythm disturbances and cause a heart attack.

Sometimes a normal heart attack itself can cause electrical impulses in the heart to shut down. That’s because of long-term high blood pressure, obesity, long term abuse of alcohol and substances, diabetes, thyroid, which women usually tend to ignore in their early life. “That’s why women should get tested early — electrocardiogram (EKG), blood test or electrophysiology (based on EKG report) — especially when they have a family history,” advises Dr Chandra.