“I do my workouts regularly but wanted to be sure if my heart can take the strain of playing garba for nine nights,” Patel, who is in his forties, told TOI.
Patel has his reasons too, and so do scores of others quite literally following in his footsteps.
With heart attacks snuffing out so many lives, especially of Gujarat’s youngsters, in the past few months, Patel wanted to get a certificate of fitness first. He underwent an echo-TMT test at a private hospital a few days ago and with a clean score, he is a relieved man. “I will now be able to enjoy Navratri without a hitch,” he said.
Hospitals and clinics across the state have reported arush for such tests ahead of Navratri. Few want to take chances after the recent garba-related deaths caused by cardiac failures, with one of the deceased only 19 years old.
Dr Anand Ahuja, director of Rhythm Hospital in Vadodara, believed Patel’s fears were not unfounded. “There has been a sudden increase of about 30% in the number of people, especially men, walking in to get their heart checked. Most are garba enthusiasts and do not want heart complications to wreck the flow,” Ahuja said.
Garba in Ahmedabad ignites a ‘No Drugs, No Tobacco’ movement ahead of Navratri
Dr Jay Shah, an Ahmedabad-based interventional cardiologist, echoed the assessment and confirmed checking at least six patients in the age group of 25 to 35 years in the past couple of days.
“All had come with the same question — ‘Can I play garba with the same rigour as Idid in my youth?’ Fortunately, none had any major heart issues. But risk factors, including hypertension, tobacco-chewing habit, or even diabetes, made their fitness card sketchy. We advised them caution, less exertion and to remain hydrated along with regular breaks,” said Shah.
Other Ahmedabad-based cardiologists have reported a 20 to 30% rise in tests such as ECG, TMT and PFT ahead of the festival.
“In the past 10 days, there has been a spike in heart check-ups at all our hospitals,” said Dr Parul Banker, medical director, of Bankers Group of Hospital, adding that being careful in heart matters is a good sign.Vadodara : It’s been an annual practice for Shardul Patel to collect Navratri-appropriate accessories much before the revelry sets in. Be it the Kediya, the colourful safa pagdis, or polishing his garba steps — Patel never left anything to chance. However, this time, the list started with a caveat — a complete heart check-up before the nine nights of celebrations.
“I do my workouts regularly but wanted to be sure if my heart can take the strain of playing garba for nine nights,” Patel, who is in his forties, told TOI.
Patel has his reasons too, and so do scores of others quite literally following in his footsteps.
With heart attacks snuffing out so many lives, especially of Gujarat’s youngsters, in the past few months, Patel wanted to get a certificate of fitness first. He underwent an echo-TMT test at a private hospital a few days ago and with a clean score, he is a relieved man. “I will now be able to enjoy Navratri without a hitch,” he said.
Hospitals and clinics across the state have reported arush for such tests ahead of Navratri. Few want to take chances after the recent garba-related deaths caused by cardiac failures, with one of the deceased only 19 years old.
Dr Anand Ahuja, director of Rhythm Hospital in Vadodara, believed Patel’s fears were not unfounded. “There has been a sudden increase of about 30% in the number of people, especially men, walking in to get their heart checked. Most are garba enthusiasts and do not want heart complications to wreck the flow,” Ahuja said.
Dr Jay Shah, an Ahmedabad-based interventional cardiologist, echoed the assessment and confirmed checking at least six patients in the age group of 25 to 35 years in the past couple of days.
“All had come with the same question — ‘Can I play garba with the same rigour as Idid in my youth?’ Fortunately, none had any major heart issues. But risk factors, including hypertension, tobacco-chewing habit, or even diabetes, made their fitness card sketchy. We advised them caution, less exertion and to remain hydrated along with regular breaks,” said Shah.
Other Ahmedabad-based cardiologists have reported a 20 to 30% rise in tests such as ECG, TMT and PFT ahead of the festival.
“In the past 10 days, there has been a spike in heart check-ups at all our hospitals,” said Dr Parul Banker, medical director, of Bankers Group of Hospital, adding that being careful in heart matters is a good sign.
(With inputs from Parth Shastri)
