In a turn of events, Kawaljit Singh Bagga from Aurangabad suffered a cardiac arrest during a Zumba session. He was at a fitness centre in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar when he had a cardiac arrest. According to a report in TOI, the incident was recorded on video which showed the distressing moments when Bagga began feeling dizzy and collapsed.

Despite immediate assistance from fellow gym attendees, Bagga's health deteriorated rapidly. He was taken to the medical facility immediately, however, he was pronounced dead upon his arrival by the medical professionals.

Cardiac arrest, also known as sudden cardiac arrest is a condition wherein there’s loss of heart activity due to an irregular heart rhythm. Your heart stops beating and you tend to become unconscious. Mayo Clinic says that sudden cardiac arrest can lead to death.

When you have a cardiac arrest, your heart doesn’t pump blood and this can put the organs and your whole body at risk. Some of the emergency treatments include cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and shocks to the heart with a device called an automated external defibrillator (AED). One can survive this condition only when there is immediate and appropriate medical care. A heart attack is different from a cardiac attack and a heart attack can be a cause of cardiac arrest.

Dr Sudhir Kumar, MD DM in an earlier post on X (formerly Twitter), after the death of Cyclist Anil Kadsur shared reasons as to what might have led to his heart attack.

Dr Kumar stated two reasons:

“Exercise dose was excessive. He was cycling for about 7 hours daily to cover a distance of 100 km. As per research, the effect of exercise on mortality is U-shaped: initially there is benefit, but beyond a certain exercise dose, there is detrimental effect on health and there is increased mortality risk,” said Dr Kumar.

He added, “There was no recovery day. Studies have shown that those who exercise on daily basis without at least one recovery (rest) day in a week have a higher mortality risk.”

He also shared his suggestions and said, “Keep the exercise dose within a reasonable limit. Take at least 1 day per week off from vigorous exercise.”

Intense physical activity increases your heart rate and blood pressure and this adds excessive strain on the heart. This strain can aggravate underlying heart conditions, such as coronary artery disease, which might already limit blood flow to the heart muscle.

Also, during extreme exertion, the demand for oxygen increases. If the oxygen supply is not fulfilled, it can result in ischemia, where the heart muscle is deprived of the required oxygen, thereby, leading to arrhythmias. Arrhythmia can affect the heart’s normal pumping action and trigger cardiac arrest.

Along with these, extreme physical exertion can cause electrolyte imbalance, especially potassium, calcium and magnesium which are important for maintaining the heart’s electrical stability. When there’s electrolyte imbalance, it can lead to arrhythmias, thereby, causing cardiac arrests.