ANXIETY NEEDLESS OVER POSSIBILITY OF SUDDEN DEATH

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 14, Issue 37, 12 September 1949, Page 5

ANXIETY NEEDLESS OVER POSSIBILITY OF SUDDEN DEATH

When a number of people die suddenly, medical men find many of their patients asking anxiously about the risks of sudden death. A great deal of this anxiety is completely unnecessary. For there is nothing:;'mysterious or unpredictable «-libout the causes of sudden death. It can be due to what is called a stroke —that is a broken blood vessel in the brain; or to blockage of one of the arteries supplying the heart—in other words to coronary thrombosis. Vessels Become Brittle

In both cases the trouble is due to changes in the blood vessels. In advancing age blood pressure rises. The coat of the blood vessels becomes harder and more brittle; the lining less smooth. So there is a tendency to rupture of an artery; or the lining becomes narrowed and sometimes completely blocked. The former is commoner in the brain; the latter in the heart. Precipitating factors for a stroke are sudden physical effort or mental excitement, because both raise the blood pressure and find the weakest point in the arterial tree. When rupture occurs it ploughs up nerve fibres, always causing paralysis and often death. Coronary thrombosis, on the other hand, occurs when the blood flow is slow and the pressure low. This provides all the conditions required for clotting, which often attacks the arteries supplying the heart muscle. Death During Sleep

So much trouble is commoner when a person is overtired and at rest. It is the most freqdent cause of unexpected death during sleep. Yet coronary thrombosis is not necessarily fatal. People can live for years after an attack, provided the doctor’s advice is carried out;

The first symptom is pain in ■ the chest, often radiating up to the neck and down the arms. This persists for varying periods up to several hours and requires an injection of morphia for relief.

The treatment is rest in bed for four to six weeks. This is essential if the injured muscle is to recover. The rest enables any clots formed on the inner wall of the heart to become firm.