The sudden death of famous Bollywood playback singer Krishnakumar Kunnath, aka KK, shocked the entire nation on Tuesday night, even as the condolences poured in from his beloved fans, politicians, and music and film fraternity. 
The 53-year-old actor famous for Bollywood's biggest hits, like 'Pal' and 'Yaaron' songs, was known for his versatile singing. KK rendered hundreds of songs in various languages, including Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, and Bengali, among others.
According to the news reports, singer KK complained of chest pain while performing at the Nazrul Mancha, Kolkata. After returning to the hotel, he reportedly collapsed after suffering from a cardiac arrest and was rushed to the Calcutta Medical Research Institute (CMRI), where he was declared dead on arrival.
In the last year, India witnessed the sudden deaths of actors Puneeth Rajkumar, Sidharth Shukla, director Raj Kaushal and, the apparent reason being sudden cardiac arrest.
As per PTI, the doctor told on Thursday, "The singer had a major blockage in the left main coronary artery and several small blockages in various other arteries and sub-arteries. owing to the tremendous excitement during the live show caused a sudden stoppage of blood flow leading to cardiac arrest that claimed his life. The vocalist had around 80 percent blockage in the left main coronary artery and small blockages in various other arteries and sub-arteries. But none of the blockades were 100 percent though."
The medical professional also added, "During the performance, that took place on Tuesday, the singer was walking around and at times even dancing with the crowd, jeering them to sing alongside him, which created an excessive amount of excitement that caused the stoppage of blood flow leading to cardiac arrest. As a result, on returning to his hotel room, KK suddenly fell unconscious and had a cardiac arrest. Had cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) been given on time, the artist could have been saved."
Many people think diabetes or cholesterol might be a causative factor. Still, little do they realize that even environmental factors can contribute significantly to sudden changes in the heart rhythm.
Let's find out how high temperatures can cause heart anomalies and ways to tackle them.
What Is A Heart Attack?
Heart attack, medically termed Myocardial infarction, is a condition that occurs when the blood supply to the heart is blocked, mostly due to the formation of a blood clot. This blockage that stops the blood flow can occur due to a build-up of fat, cholesterol, and other plagued substances in the coronary arteries and other environmental factors that people often overlook.
Also Read: Heart Failure: Symptoms, Causes, Types And Treatment
What Are The Common Warning Signs Of Heart Attack?
Uneasiness is one of the preliminary signs of heart attack that people often tend to misunderstand. It usually surfaces with uneasiness or pain in the shoulders, arms, back, neck, jaw, and teeth. Other common signs and symptoms include chest pain which feels like squeezing and tightness in the left chest, fatigue, indigestion, cold sweat, dizziness, nausea, and shortness of breath.
Apart from these common tell-tale signs, even the environment sometimes harms the body, especially during summers.
Also Read: Heart Attacks, Cardiac Arrests At Young Age! 5 Ways To Prevent These Fatal Events
How Does Hot Weather Affect The Heart Functioning?
When the mercury rises during the sweltering summers, one's body works differently. The heart has to work harder and pump blood faster to other parts of the body to regulate the body temperature effectively. If the body is not cooled properly, one may suddenly suffer a heat stroke without any previous warnings.
During the hot weather, the heart tends to work harder and those with pre-existing heart issues, diabetes, or cholesterol must remain vigilant of cardiac arrests and heart attacks. Patients suffering from damaged or weakened hearts have a higher incidence of heatstroke, arrhythmias, angina, and heart attacks due to dehydration, and excessive sweating, which in some cases might even be fatal.
How To Keep Your Heart Healthy During Summers?
Here are a few tips that help you stay healthy and avoid problems associated with heart conditions during the summer season.
- Avoid vigorous exercise and strenuous activities
- Drink ample quantities of water
- Refrain from caffeine and alcohol
- Wear lightweight and light-coloured clothes
- Consume a well-balanced, nutritious diet
- Try staying indoors in the early afternoon (between 12-3 pm)
- Try visiting in a cooler environment
Do not take the symptoms of a heart attack lightly. Rush to the emergency care immediately. Remember, every second counts!
Input: PTI
