- 1. Arrhythmia
- 2. Coronary heart disease
- 3. Excessive stress or exercise
- 4. Sedentary lifestyle
- Is it possible to predict the sudden stop?
- Who is most at risk
Sudden cardiac arrest happens when the electrical activity of the heart stops happening and, therefore, the muscle is unable to contract, preventing blood from circulating and reaching other parts of the body.
So, although it may seem similar, sudden cardiac arrest is different from infarction, since in the latter case what happens is that a small clot clogs the arteries of the heart and prevents the heart muscle from receiving the blood and oxygen needed to function, leading to the stop. See more about heart attack and why it happens.
People who have a sudden cardiac arrest usually pass out immediately and stop showing a pulse. When this happens, medical assistance should be called immediately, calling 192, and starting cardiac massage to replace heart function and increase the chances of survival. See how to do the massage in the following video:
Although more studies on sudden cardiac arrest are still needed, most cases seem to happen in people who already had some kind of cardiac disorder, especially arrhythmias. Thus, the medical community indicates some causes that may increase the risk of this problem:
1. Arrhythmia
Most cardiac arrhythmias are not life-threatening and allow a good quality of life when the treatment is done properly. However, there are more rare cases where an arrhythmia of ventricular fibrillation can appear, which is malignant and can cause sudden heart failure.
Possible symptoms: arrhythmias usually cause a lump in the throat, cold sweats, dizziness and frequent shortness of breath. In these cases, you should go to the cardiologist to assess the arrhythmia and find out its type. Better understand what arrhythmia is and when it can be severe.
How to treat it: Treatment is usually done with medication, however it may be necessary to have surgery in some cases to restore the normal rhythm of the heart. Regular consultations and examinations with the cardiologist are the best way to keep your arrhythmia in check and prevent complications.
2. Coronary heart disease
Several cases of sudden cardiac arrest happen in people who have coronary heart disease, which happens when the arteries have cholesterol plaques that hinder the passage of blood to the heart, which can end up affecting the heart muscle and the electrical rhythm.
Possible symptoms: tiredness when performing simple tasks such as climbing a flight of stairs, cold sweats, dizziness or frequent nausea. See how to identify and treat coronary heart disease.
How to treat: the treatment must be guided by a cardiologist according to each case, but most of the time it includes the regular practice of physical activity, a healthy diet and medicines to control pressure or diabetes, for example.
3. Excessive stress or exercise
Although it is one of the rarest causes, too much stress or too much physical exercise can also cause sudden cardiac arrest. This is especially true for those who already have a history of heart disease due to increased levels of adrenaline or decreased levels of potassium and magnesium in the body, which affect the electrical activity of the heart.
Possible symptoms: when there is an excess of adrenaline there may be an increase in heart rate and, therefore, it is very common to experience frequent palpitations. In the absence of potassium and magnesium, excessive tiredness, tremors, nervousness and difficulty falling asleep are more common.
How to treat: It is usually necessary to supplement with magnesium or potassium to balance the levels of these minerals in the body.
4. Sedentary lifestyle
The sedentary lifestyle is a factor that greatly increases the risk of any type of heart problem, including the development of sudden cardiac arrest. This is because the lack of exercise leads to weight gain and a consequent increase in effort for the heart.
In addition, people with a sedentary lifestyle are also more likely to have other bad habits, such as smoking, drinking alcoholic beverages in excess or eating a diet rich in fat and carbohydrates, which ends up increasing the risk of any heart problem.
How to treat: To avoid sedentary lifestyle, moderate physical exercise should be performed at least 3 times a week and for 30 minutes. This means taking a walk at a moderate pace or participating in other physical activities such as going to the gym, doing water aerobics or participating in dance classes. Check out 5 simple tips to try to combat sedentary lifestyle.
Is it possible to predict the sudden stop?
There is still no medical consensus on whether it is possible or not to predict the development of cardiac arrest, knowing only that the symptoms suddenly appear and the heart stops beating.
However, some studies indicate that more than half of people who suffered from sudden cardiac arrest had symptoms such as constant chest pain, feeling short of breath, dizziness, palpitations, excessive tiredness or nausea, for up to a few days before.
Thus, if there is a symptom of this type, which does not improve in a few hours, a general practitioner or cardiologist should be consulted, especially if there is a history of a cardiac problem, and an electrocardiogram should be performed to assess the electrical activity of the heart.
Who is most at risk
In addition to the above causes, people at higher risk for sudden cardiac arrest usually have factors such as:
- Family history of heart disease; Having high blood pressure and high cholesterol; Having obesity.
In these cases, it is always important to have regular consultations with the cardiologist to assess heart health and to assess whether there is any disease that needs to be treated.
