Concerned with unexpected and sudden cardiac deaths of relatively young serving personnel especially those deployed in extreme cold climes and attributable to sedentary lifestyle and stress, the CRPF medical wing have sought regular screening of such personnel and take measures to reduce stress to minimise such casualties.
The probable causes for sudden cardiac deaths identified are sedentary lifestyle/lack of exercise, faulty food habits (high salt content: over 5 gm per day and oily food in diet), addictions like smoking and alcohol consumption, stress (workplace./family-related) besides associated comorbidities like hypertension, Diabetes Mellitus among others, reads the advisory.
In addition, strong family history of coronary artery disease or sudden cardiac death has also been listed as a cause of such fatalities in CRPF ranks.
Brief or prolonged exposure to cold, both affect the cardiovascular system and exercise in cold weather further increases stress on the heart and arteries, according to the advisory.
Various international studies have shown strong association of cardiovascular disease and mortality increases when the ambient temperature is cold and during cold spells.
Various cardiac/cardiovascular events like stroke, intracerebral hemorrhage, heart failure occur in winter months. Cold air usually causes a slight increase in heart rate in the range of 5-10 beats per minute. All these may contribute to cardiac events like sudden cardiac deaths in otherwise normal personnel who do not have any prior symptoms of heart disease like angina chest pain and the like.
Preventive measures like regular screening of personnel with blood pressure measurement, special attention towards personnel who have modifiable risk factors like smoking, alcohol addiction or having strong family history of sudden cardiac deaths, obesity and hypertension, it said.
As directed earlier, the Medical Directorate of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) has further advised the personnel especially the high risk ones to always carry Disprin tablets (300 mg) and Sorbitrate tablets (5 mg).
The Medical Directorate further advised that the Unit Medical Officer should brief the troops that these tablets should be taken immediately on feeling of left sided chest pain radiating to the left upper limb or shoulder/scapula/jaw with severe sweating. Such personnel should be immediately shifted to Unit hospital or nearest government hospital for further treatment.
Insiders in the paramilitary said as many as 10 percent of the personnel are Low Medical Category (LMC) or unfit with health conditions like obesity and cardiac diseases among others.
This is reflective of the growing indiscipline in the ranks as they avoid regular exercise, a prerequisite for maintaining fitness in any uniformed service. The problem is further compounded by the provision of ration money to the tune of Rs 3,636 per personnel per month ensuring a rich diet but the lack of exercise leads to health complications,” an official said.