With alarming levels of stress among people in Kashmir due to ongoing crisis, Doctors Association Kashmir (DAK) today said that stress increases the risk of heart attack and stroke.
President DAK Dr Nisar ul Hassan in a statement said that escalation of stress in Kashmir due to ongoing unrest has put people at increased risk of heart attack and stroke.
“Yesterday, in Kulgam an elderly man died due to heart attack after hearing sounds of bursting of tear gas shells. In another incident, on August 11, an elderly woman died of a massive heart attack after security personnel trained his gun at her. Studies have clearly linked acute stress to sudden heart attack and stroke. Stress is bad for heart as well as for brain,” he said.
Adding, stress makes the blood thicker and stickier and increases the likelihood of blood clotting.
“It constricts the arteries due to changes that promote the buildup of plaque deposits in the arteries. Stress makes other risk factors like high blood pressure, diabetes or high cholesterol worse,” he said.
Dr Nisar said people who have a lot of stress may smoke or choose other unhealthy ways to deal with stress which in turn heighten the risk for a coronary or a brain event.
“Stress exposes the body to high levels of stress hormones like adrenaline and cortisol that can lead to clogging of arteries. The prevailing atmosphere of uncertainty and frustration in Kashmir has alarmingly increased stress-related disorders among people,” he said.
(PTK)