A series of strokes during marathon running

Runners need to know how to listen to their bodies.

Consecutive cases of hospitalization after the race

On April 8, Cho Ray Hospital (Ho Chi Minh City) admitted a young man born in 1993 who was in a deep coma after participating in a 42km marathon. Previously, on April 6, at Hue Central Hospital, 4 patients who had accidents while participating in the race were treated, one of whom died.

2024 also recorded two deaths related to races. In March, Hoa Binh General Hospital admitted a 40-year-old man who was in a coma, suffering from multiple organ failure, and died after participating in a local race. A month later, Bach Mai Hospital (Hanoi) treated a 31-year-old patient who collapsed 100m from the finish line and died after several days of intensive care.

Specialist Doctor 2 Vo Thi Doan Thuc - Deputy Head of Intensive Care Department, Area D (Cho Ray Hospital - Ho Chi Minh City) said that any form of exercise is good, of which jogging is of interest to many young people. Jogging is good for cardiovascular health, weight loss, improving mental health, and reducing stress.

However, running can cause injuries ranging from mild to severe such as blisters due to friction with shoes, bone and joint damage, myositis, muscle destruction, electrolyte disturbances. In particular, this type of exercise is dangerous for people with cardiovascular disease but do not know it, have not exercised before, overexertion can lead to heart failure, cardiac arrest, stroke.

Master, Doctor Doan Du Manh - member of the Vietnam Vascular Pathology Association, believes that if athletes always aim to surpass their own limits without understanding their own bodies, it is blind thinking. If they continue to exercise when they have symptoms of chest pain, fatigue, and dizziness, it is suicide.

In fact, many people who look healthy on the outside may have underlying diseases, congenital cardiovascular diseases of the heart muscle, heart valves, coronary arteries, cerebral vessels, etc., but do not know it. If they participate in high-intensity sports for a long time, it will be very dangerous.

In addition, heart attack and heat stroke while running also cause damage to the central nervous system, respiratory system, circulatory system, liver, kidney and hematology system, causing rapid multiple organ failure if not treated promptly. Heat stroke does not only occur in sunny weather, people who run long distances with high intensity and generate internal heat also experience this phenomenon.

3 solutions to avoid risks

Doctor Nguyen Huy Hoang, Vietnam - Russia Hyperbaric Oxygen Center (Ministry of Defense), said that when organizing the race, units need to establish standards, ensure medical and security requirements, and limit risks.

First, professional medical support

If the runner has health problems, the medical staff of the organizing committee will appear faster. If the victim has cardiac arrest, it is necessary to perform emergency CPR outside the hospital with artificial respiration, external cardiac compression to avoid brain death and take them to the medical facility as soon as possible.

Second, runners must know their limits.

Doctor Thuc recommends that the safe form of jogging is to practice slowly, starting from walking and gradually increasing according to each individual's health condition. When endurance increases, the practitioner can alternate running with walking.

Runners should gradually adapt to the room temperature to avoid heat stroke. If the weather is hot, it takes time to get used to it and clearly recognize the signs of heat stroke. When participating in a race, even non-professional athletes should still bring enough water, replenish electrolytes, drink sip by sip, and not drink too much at once.

Dr. Hoang recommends that everyone should know their own limits and their own strength. People should proactively have an ultrasound, blood pressure, and electrocardiogram before participating in the race. Individuals whose relatives have suffered sudden death should have a more thorough examination with a cardiologist.

Third, some cases should require a health check.

Doctor Hoang said that people over 40 years old and participating in the 42km race need a health certificate with standards for high-intensity exercise, which can limit the risk of sudden death.

To prevent heat stroke or cerebral aneurysms that cause brain hemorrhages, MRI scans are very expensive. Therefore, the organizers should increase propaganda about health risks so that athletes can proactively get health checkups.

TH (according to Vietnamnet)

Source: https://baohaiduong.vn/lien-tiep-cac-vu-dot-quy-khi-chay-marathon-409352.html