Don't panic, say docs
SINGAPORE: And now there are five.
The latest victim of a sudden cardiac arrest is a 35-year-old Singaporean man who was working in Xiamen, China.
On Saturday, the 35-year-old director working in a manufacturing business suffered severe chest pains and died before he could be brought to the hospital. Like the others before him, he was a healthy individual. This means the number of young men dying suddenly of heart attacks has risen to five in the last three weeks.
But while the numbers may seem alarming, there is no indication that this reflects an increase in such deaths, known as sudden cardiac deaths, said cardiologists.
"In general, the trends have remained about the same," said head and senior consultant cardiologist at Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH) Dr Ho Kheng Thye. "The apparent increase in the trend may not reflect an increase in absolute numbers of patients dying, but it's reached the collective consciousness more effectively," he said.
According to a study by the National Heart Centre, about 300 people aged between 18 and 60 die suddenly every year between 2001 and 2003. It was not known how many had died in their sleep. Most deaths were caused by cardiovascular conditions, while 3 per cent of these cases had no known cause.
It is this report that many doctors refer to when asked about the recent deaths. However, some members of the public are asking for more updated figures.
For instance, a total of 2,600 people died of heart attacks last year, but it's not known how many died of sudden cardiac arrests, which occur in about an hour after symptoms appear in someone who was no previous history of heart disease.
As reader Mr Ronald Koh noted in a letter to TODAY: "It is disturbing that the Ministry of Health and the relevant entities have not begun a preliminary study. What then are the numbers from 2004 to now, as 2006 comes to an end? Has it gone up or down?"
Researchers, he said, could start by finding out more about the last six to 12 months of these victims' lives, instead of just shrugging in resignation.
"For a start, they can focus on the profession, work place stress, attitudes toward stress, handling abilities for it, physically over-straining factors and any other personal contributing factors that should not be ignored," argued Mr Koh.
"With that, I am sure a clear set of reliable guidelines can be drawn up."
However, Dr Low Lip Peng, chairman of the Singapore Heart Foundation, said the deaths have not reached alarming levels - or else the coroner, who does the autopsies of sudden death victims, will sound the alert.
"If the coroner notes an unusually high occurrence, then I have no doubt that a special investigation will be conducted," he said. "Because the deaths get reported and because they involves someone young, we get the impression that there is an epidemic. (But) I think at the moment, the reports may not reflect the true situation of the statistics." - TODAY
http://sg.news.yahoo.com/061125/5/singapore243234.html
What has happened to the our Singaporeans? Stressed? Overwork?
