A nine-year-old girl in Sikar, Rajasthan, passed away from a heart attack on Wednesday when she was opening her lunchbox at school, according to officials.
The victim attended Adarsh Vidya Mandir School and was a fourth grader. Around 11 a.m. on Tuesday, during the school’s lunch break, the incident took place.
All of the pupils were eating lunch in their classrooms when the girl unexpectedly passed out while opening her tiffin box, according to school principal Nandkishore.
The principal said that kids fainting in school is not uncommon. He also said, “It happened around 11 am on Tuesday. She dropped her lunchbox and collapsed, spilling her food onto the floor. We were all on school grounds at the time, so we rushed her to the hospital.”
The unconscious child was taken to the Dantaramgarh Community Health Centre (CHC) by the school staff right away. After treating the girl initially, the doctors chose to send her to SK Hospital in Sikar for additional care.
She passed away immediately after suffering another heart attack while being loaded into the ambulance.
What causes a heart attack in children?
According to Dr Rishi Bhargava, Consultant Interventional Cardiologist, Medicover Hospitals, Kharghar, Navi Mumbai, heart attacks can occur in children, too, just like adults. Moreover, this can be tragic and alarming. Though the incidence is very low, recently it’s been seen that there has been a surge in heart attack cases in children due to certain underlying conditions.
The aetiology in the paediatric age group is somewhat different from that of adults. In most cases, paediatric heart attacks are caused by congenital heart defects, viral infections affecting the heart (myocarditis), Kawasaki disease, or inherited cholesterol disorders like familial hypercholesterolaemia. Likewise, undetected inflammation or complications from COVID-19 (such as MIS-C) may also take a toll on their little hearts.
Symptoms
The symptoms in children may or may not be similar to those seen in adults. Though children can experience chest pain or discomfort, shortness of breath, extreme fatigue, nausea, collapsing, fainting, or bluish lips and skin. These signs should never be neglected, especially if the child has a history of heart-related issues. If a child collapses or shows signs of a heart attack, then emergency medical attention is necessary to save the life.
Treatment
Treatment can be in the form of medications, surgery or catheter-based interventions. The line of treatment will be decided by the doctor as per the aetiology and pathogenesis.
It is necessary for parents to know about the child’s heart status, take him/her for regular health check-ups, and encourage a heart-healthy lifestyle with a balanced diet and exercise.