5% increase in heart attack cases in Karnataka post Covid-19 pandemic

Bengaluru: The number of heart attacks in the state have gone up from 4 per cent to 5 per cent post Covid-19 pandemic, Health and Family welfare minister Dinesh Gundu Rao said on Monday.

While the government-appointed expert committee has ruled out any correlation between Covid vaccine and sudden heart attacks, the committee opined that Covid-induced lifestyle changes might have increased the risk factors for heart attacks.

“Covid-induced lifestyle changes such as lack of physical activity, more screen time, and stress could have increased the prevalence of risk factors for heart attack such as blood pressure, diabetes, and obesity among others. As a result, there might be an increase in the number of heart attack cases,” said Dr Ravindranath K S, Director of the Sri Jayadeva Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences and the head of the expert committee.

He added that the steroids used during Covid treatment and stress caused due to the infection could have also increased the chances of developing risk factors for heart diseases.

Health and Family welfare minister Dinesh Gundu Rao also noted that such lifestyle changes are dangerous to health. “The consumption of processed food and those high in sugars has also increased. All these factors increase the risk of developing blood pressure, diabetes and such diseases which in turn increase the chances of heart attack,” he explained.