While the nation is still in shock over actor Sridevi's death, social media is rife with theories on what caused the fatal cardiac arrest. Her relatives, including brother-in-law Sanjay Kapoor, reiterates that there was no history of heart disease in her family. But that has not stopped netizens from linking the cardiac arrest to heart diseases she may have developed from invasive cosmetic treatments. The debate has once again pushed to limelight the unnerving facts surrounding cosmetic surgeries and injectable treatments like Botolinum toxin. Can these really give you a heart disease?
The answer is a definite no, says, cardiologist George Thayil. Cosmetic surgeries are only minimally invasive and the functioning of the heart is least likely to be affected by it, he says. He added that although such surgeries are not known to give rise to heart diseases, Sridevi could have been on prolonged medication related to the treatments.
That cardiac trouble does not run in the family offers no guarantee against the possibility of other medical conditions that may have adversely affected the health of her heart. Blood pressure, diabetes and high cholesterol levels are conditions es that are known to cause heart problems and it is yet to be clarified whether the actress suffered from any of these, he said. As of now, we have no way of confirming whether she was previously diagnosed of any heart-related troubles.
But, cosmetic surgeries cannot be identified as the cause of death, he said.
"Cosmetic surgeries do not involve any kinds of hormone treatments. A facial cosmetic surgery corrects bones, skin, teeth, muscles and tissues. A cosmetic surgery cannot lead to a cardiac arrest on its own. It just holds the usual risks of any other surgery. On the other hand, a weight-loss surgery is potential of causing nutritional deficiencies,” says cosmetic surgeon Hari Menon of Lakeshore Hospital in Kochi.
He said that physicians conduct regular follow-ups and suggest special diet and medication in the patients undergoing gastrectomy, gastric bypass or laparoscopic gastric banding. However, weight-loss surgeries also do not cause cardiac problems on normal healthy patients.
Dr Menon also said any medical procedure done without special medical attention in cardiac patients could worsen their condition.
“In Sridevi's case, people are circulating fake messages linking her death to plastic/cosmetic/gastric surgeries she has undergone. People need to be sensitized regarding the nature, after-effects and impacts of plastic and cosmetic surgeries to prevent the spread of such false messages,” he said.
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