10 die of heart attacks in 24 hours during Garba in Gujarat: What's ailing revellers?

In the past 24 hours, at least 10 people have died while performing Garba during the ongoing Navratri celebrations in Gujarat.

The casualties ranged from teenagers to middle-aged people, with the youngest being a 13-year-old boy from Vadodara’s Dabhoi district.

According to News18, the high number of heart attack deaths may be due to pre-existing medical illnesses, prolonged fasting, poor eating habits, and ignorance about prevalence of heart health issues in India.

Experts also speculate that COVID-19 may be to blame, however, former chief minister of Gujarat, Anandiben Patel has refuted such claims.

10 heart attack deaths at Garba events

A 24-year-old man in Ahmedabad was playing Garba on Friday when he suddenly collapsed and died on the spot.

Similarly, a 17-year-old boy from Kapadwanj named Veer Shah felt uneasy and began bleeding from his nose while performing Garba at an event. He was immediately taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead. Later, his family issued an appeal to the public, “Don’t play Garba for long stretches of time without taking a break. I lost my son today. I hope the same does not happen to anybody else.”

Shockingly, a 13-year-old also passed away in Dabhoi from a heart attack. Vaibhav Soni collapsed while riding a bicycle back after a Garba event, suffering only minor wounds. He was brought to a hospital, where he underwent some examinations, including an X-ray, before being discharged. Later, the young boy complained of chest pain, so his family gave him medicine and put him to sleep. A few hours later, when he still wasn’t awake, he was transferred to the hospital, where medical staff pronounced him dead. It is unknown, according to officials, whether playing Garba contributed to the boy’s heart attack.

There have been similar reports from Ahmedabad, Rajkot, and Navsari, involving deaths of people in their 20s.

In addition, the 108 emergency ambulance services received 521 calls for heart-related problems and an additional 609 calls for breathing difficulties over the first six days of Navratri. These calls were recorded in the hours leading up to Garba celebrations, from 6 pm to 2 am, according to India Today.

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Similar cases in the past

According to News18, a 21-year-old man passed away while dancing at a Garba event in the Anand region of Gujarat last year. On social media, a video of the unfortunate incident showed the man playing Garba in front of a crowd before passing out unexpectedly. Heart attack was determined to be the cause of death.

According to Hindustan Times, a 35-year-old man from Maharashtra passed away after passing out while dancing to Garba. The father collapsed and passed away on the spot as soon as he learned of his son’s passing. A case of accidental death was reported.

Mumbai also witnessed two deaths on two different Navratri grounds last year. According to The Times of India, a 26-year-old accountant died after collapsing at a Navratri mandal in Mulund, while a 59-year-old man, who had a history of heart disease, died similarly in Kandivali.

The link between Garba and heart issues

According to experts, there are several reasons why people get sudden heart attacks when engaging in physical activities like Garba, including pre-existing illnesses, excessive intense physical activity, and even external factors.

“Engaging in sports and dance activities, particularly during high-intensity events like Garba, can potentially exacerbate underlying health conditions, increasing the risk of heart-related problems, including heart attacks and failure,” Mansuri from Ahmedabad told News18.

Many attendees, especially young people, may unknowingly have risk factors like high blood pressure or diabetes, putting them vulnerable to cardiac problems during these hectic celebrations.

As per the news channel, Dr Debdatta Majumdar, cardiology consultant at NH RN Tagore Hospital in Kolkata, advised, “It’s important for individuals to be aware of their health, stay hydrated and not push their physical limits during such celebrations.”

According to Dr Udgeath Dhir, director and head of cardiothoracic and vascular surgery at the Fortis Memorial Research Institute in Gurugram, young people can experience sudden cardiac arrest due to family-related heart conditions or irregular heart rhythms when under intense emotional or physical stress. It may also increase the chance of fatal heart rhythms and death. Electrolyte imbalances that can happen during physical activity, such as dancing or working out, might make this even worse. “During normal working or daily activities, these don’t pose any problems or symptoms and hence go unnoticed,” he added.

New Delhi-based SAAOL Heart Centre’s senior cardiologist Dr Bimal Chhajer told News18 that he has observed a “significant rise in the number of patients seeking medical attention for heart-related issues during festival season.” Breathlessness or chest pain are the major reason.

“Dehydration, poor eating practices, and excessive physical activity are a few contributing factors. During these festivities, the heat and excessive activity might cause cardiac strain.”

Experts say COVID could be the reason

Dr Bharat Gadhavi, president of Ahmedabad Hospitals and Nursing Home Association, who spoke to The Week, said although the causes of the deaths cannot be proven, there is a possibility that acute myocardial infarction (AMI) or heart attack was the cause.

He recommended the need for a restrospective study, while saying the coronavirus pandemic, problems with the vaccine, or other illnesses could also be the causes.

Notably, following the COVID-19 outbreak, Gujarat and other states have been quite concerned about young people dying while playing cricket on the weekends or after working out in gyms.

India Today cited a study conducted at Queen Mary University of London on COVID’s effects on the heart and conditions associated to the heart. As per the report, blood clot risk is increased by 2.7 times in COVID-19 patients who are not hospitalised, while the chance of death has increased by a factor of 10 times.

The 2022 study also suggests there has been a 118-fold increase in the fatality rate among patients hospitalised for COVID-19, as well as a 27.6-fold increase in blood clot occurrences, a 21.6-fold increase in heart failure cases, a 17.5-fold increase in stroke cases, and a 10-fold increase in arrhythmia (irregular heartbeat) cases.

But, Gujarat ex-CM refutes claims

Uttar Pradesh governor and former Gujarat CM Anandiben Patel raised concerns on Sunday over the state’s increasing heart attack cases and refuted speculations that COVID-19 is to blame.

Patel, who took over for Narendra Modi as governor of Gujarat in 2014, stated that an analysis of these deaths should be conducted to determine the causes, according to Indian Express.

While addressing an event after the ground-breaking ceremony for establishing the Khodaldham Temple of the Patidar community in Sander village of Patan district, North Gujarat, she said, “In the entire country, cancer is happening, (cases of) heart attack are being reported. In the times of Navratri, so many youths have died while performing Garba. You know and we know as well. There should be an analysis of the same (such deaths).”

“We (people) give reason (behind such deaths of heart attacks) as coronavirus. That it happens due to the virus. No. I asked Mansukhbhai (Mandaviya, the Union Health Minister) about this talk of deaths by heart attack happening owing to the virus. He (Mandaviya) not only got a survey done but also got the research conducted. But it does not show coronavirus as the reason behind it. Then what are the reasons that all this is happening?” she added.

Rising cases of heart attack in youth

Heart disease and heart attacks are becoming more common in India, especially due to post-Covid problems, air pollution, and poor lifestyles.

This increase has caused the affected demographic to change from elderly people to younger people.

Dr Zeeshan Mansuri, a consultant interventional cardiologist at Narayana Hospital, Ahmedabad, told News18, “We are seeing more and more young patients coming with increasing rates of heart attacks. Earlier one out of 10 patients was less than 30 years of age, but now we are seeing around three out of 10 patients aged less than 30 years.”

Dr Chhajer, who is also a former doctor at AIIMS, also claimed that he sees people of all ages visiting the OPD, not just the elderly.

The rate of patients complaining of really severe symptoms, clogged arteries, cardiac arrest, or cardiac strain has increased to approximately 25 per cent, according to him. Earlier, 10 per cent of patients who came in complained of these symptoms.

What can be done

2. Encourage regular health check-ups.

3. Quick access to medical assistance during such events.

4. Raising awareness about potential risks associated with over-exertion and stress.

5. Recognising early signs of heart problems, such as chest pain or breathlessness.

6. Arranging health check-ups before the festival season.

With inputs from agencies