Rajay Narain at the workshop at Patna Medical College and Hospital on Sunday. Picture by Jai Prakash

Availability of free screening facilities in health hubs could have averted cardiac death cases in the 14-35 age group, said Rajay Narain, a research cardiologist of St George’s University Hospital, UK.

He was addressing a heart workshop organised by Bihar International Medical Association and Patna Medical College and Hospital at the city’s premier health hub on Sunday.

The workshop aimed to give cardiologists a platform to share the latest development in treatment facilities available for patients.

Renowned city heart specialists and a Bahrain- based cardiologist, Syed Raza, took part in the workshop.

Narain said: “An ECG (electrocardiogram) test can help prevent sudden cardiac deaths. But unlike UK, there are no free screening facilities available in India to help detect the chances of developing cardiac problems among people. There are many charitable organisations in UK which help provide these facilities for free.”

An estimated 100 people in the age group of 14-35 die of cardiac arrest every year in UK, while the number in India is around 1,000.

“The people in that particular age group are more vulnerable to cardiac arrest because of two reasons — enlargement of the heart muscle and irregularity in heart’s conduction system. An ECG test can help detect these problems. Therefore, people between 14 and 35 are advised to undergo the ECG test to prevent such complications,” Narain said.

Most cases of cardiac problems are found among men, especially sportspersons. The heart specialist cited examples of national kabaddi player Bikramjit Singh and television actor Abir Goswami who recently died of cardiac arrest.

“Most cardiac deaths occur among sportspersons, who are physically active. In UK, football and basketball players are more likely to develop cardiac problems. In India, cricket is the most popular sport, but there is lack of database regarding the cardiac problems among players,” Narain said.

Ajay Sinha, a cardiologist working with Magadh Hospital, focused on ventricular arrhythmia, a problem that makes the heart rate irregular.

“If a patient is not treated for ventricular arrhythmia, the person will die. We use shock therapy for patients with ventricular arrhythmia,” Sinha said.