(Ecns.cn) – Another controversial "sudden death" hit domestic media six months ago, when a young new employee at the Chinese Web service Baidu.com suffered an unexpected heart attack and died immediately. The tragedy followed four other similar cases this year, raising an alarm across the country.
The collective concern was echoed in a survey released on ifeng.com this Thursday, which shows that among the top 10 most influential workplace events in 2011, employee sudden deaths received an overwhelming number of votes from Chinese Web users. Once again, white collar workers – especially young ones – blame long hours and overwork for the problem, which has become common practice in a country proud of its position as the world's second largest economy.
Cardiovascular disease experts, however, believe the prolonged work hours and stress are not the prime suspects in the deaths. Rather, they say it is long-term unhealthy lifestyles and misunderstandings about healthcare that lead to such tragedies, the Guangzhou-based New Express Daily reported. Here are some things to look out for…
1) Chill out, anger can kill you
Though almost all of the sudden deaths this year happened after overwork, it was just the trigger rather than the underlying problem, according to Xiong Longgen, vice-dean of the cardiovascular department at the Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical School.
Eighty percent of such cases are sudden cardiac deaths (SCD), says Xiong, which means they are connected to heart-related health conditions.
People with anger issues are more prone to the potential dangers of sudden death, adds Xiong, because the mood of anger stimulates the nerves, which affects the endocrine system and causes heart disease. Once the stress from work increases, adrenergic secretion increases as well. As a result, the heart breaks down.
Try to control your anger and be as happy as possible to prevent sudden death, says Xiong.
2) Smoking kills you
If you smoke two packs a day, then you are just asking for a myocardial infarction, experts say. Traditionally, the damage done by cigarettes was thought to be limited to the lungs, yet medical studies have proven that they also negatively affect the heart. Smoking in the long term can lead to arteriosclerosis, one of the possible causes of coronary heart disease.
This also refers to second hand smoke, so if you light up in public or at home with your loved ones, you are damaging the health of others as well as your own.
3) Sports can do more harm than good
Misguided by fashion magazines, some white collar workers have become obsessed with sports. Worse still, they believe the more extreme the sport, the healthier it is.
Yet sports like boxing and football can cause an instant increase of adrenergic secretion in the kidneys, which in return stimulates the sympathetic nervous system. As a result, the heart bears an intolerable burden and may shut down.
The incidence of sudden death caused by such sports gets markedly higher when taken up suddenly, experts point out.
People of different ages and body types should choose suitable sports accordingly, experts say, and avoid anything that may overstress the body.
4) Junk food hates your heart
The latest diet trend in China is to abandon a traditional breakfast and eat bread and drink coffee instead. This new fashion brings with it a higher intake of fat and cholesterol, which in the long term might cause strokes or heart attacks.
Along with these warnings, experts also recommend a physical examination once a while to help prevent sudden death.
