‘Gyms are doing…’ Bengaluru doctor amid debate on exercise, heart issues

Amid increased concerns over heart-related ailments among those who workout regularly, a Bengaluru-based cardiologist lauded some gyms for encouraging their clients to undergo a clinical check-up to detect heart-related issues before enrollment.

A Bengaluru-based cardiologist has praised some gyms for encouraging their clients to undergo a clinical check-up to detect heart-related issues before enrollment. Dr Deepak Krishnamurthy has expressed appreciation in a note on social media.

There is now an increased fear among the public of developing heart-related issues from exercise. (Pixabay)

Read: Bengaluru woman suffers fatal heart attack in gym, CCTV captures incident

This comes amid increased concerns over heart-related ailments among those who were regular at the treadmill. From popular actor Puneeth Rajkumar to singer KK and most recently, comedian Raju Srivastava, celebrities have been in the news for similar health issues. This has alarmed citizens, igniting several debates on the effects of over-exercising.

Dr Krishnamurthy, a senior interventional cardiologist at the Sakra World Hospital, shared on social media that some gyms are encouraging their clients to undergo clinical assessments before enrolling to detect heart-related issues. “Good to see some gyms doing a clinical assessment and asking for #cardiacfitness before enrolling people. 28y guy with a family history of premature Coronary artery disease. Detected to have high BP. Overweight by 12-15kg. A basic clinical check can reveal so much information!” he tweeted.

“In such a patient assessing overall cardiac risk and controlling blood pressure before allowing him to exercise is crucial. In the absence of a pre-enrollment check if any cardiac event like heart attack happens, people will be quick to blame #exercise as the culprit!” he continued.

“Most people who develop a heart attack or cardiac arrest while exercising have a pre-existing cardiac condition which has not been diagnosed. So it is critical to screen people before letting them join the gym. Also depends on how intense the training will be,” he said.

Dr Krishnamurthy also shared resources on pre-exercise screening tools.