15-year-old girl dies of sudden cardiac arrest: Why it happens in kids

A Class 10 student died in Telangana following a cardiac arrest on Thursday while she was on the way to school. Though the 15-year-old Sri Nidhi's teachers spotted her falling unconscious and gave her immediate CPR on the way to the hospital, she was declared dead on arrival, as per reports. This is just a few months after the death of a class 8 student, Mohit Chaudhary, in Aligarh and eight-year-old Daksha in Ahmedabad last month, both of whom suffered cardiac arrests while they were playing. Similar cases were reported in Tamil Nadu and Rajasthan last year. None of these children had a history of heart disease. What is causing such sudden cardiac arrests in children of late? In a conversation with an English news channel, Dr Sanjeev Bagai, a Delhi-based paediatrician, opined that several factors are triggering such incidents.

What's causing cardiac arrests in children?
According to Dr Bagai, congenital structural abnormalities, infections and even COVID-19 are some of the reasons for cardiac arrests in children. He said, "COVID has increased the magnitude of cardiac diseases two-fold in children, and there is sufficient public data on this. Myocarditis (heart muscle inflammation), pericarditis (inflammation of a sac surrounding the heart), obesity, substance abuse, hypertension,and cardiomyopathy can also trigger it. 66% affected children have no recorded history of heart diseases, but 49% of them have some kind of inherited diseases." He opined that schools should have an authentic health unit and a full-time paediatrician during working hours, along with resuscitation facilities. He also clarified that the COVID vaccine has no part to play in it, as kids were largely not vaccinated, though they were likely affected by asymptomatic viral infection. 

Dr NN Khanna, a senior cardiologist and advisor of the Apollo Hospitals, who also spoke to the channel, said that such cases aren't called heart attacks, but they are still cardiac arrests. Apparently, at times, they happen due to genetic tendencies and channelopathis(genetic disorders). Genetic doesn't mean the parents need to have it, says the doctor, adding that triggers like extreme stress, food, and emotional or physical imbalance can also cause cardiac arrests in kids. 

Symptoms of sudden cardiac arrests
According to the Cleveland Clinic, here are the symptoms of sudden cardiac arrests:|
1) Dizziness
2) Fainting
3) Lightheartedness
4) Weakness
5) Heart palpitations
6) Vomiting
7) Nausea
8) Chest pain
9) Shortness of breath