Hyderabad: Doctors in Hyderabad were shocked to hear that a marathoner, who was fit and had maintained a proper work-life balance, collapsed while practising for the Mumbai Marathon on Monday morning.
Dr Rakesh Sinha, gynaecologist and laparoscopic surgeon, had completed running four international marathons earlier. He also held the Guinness world record for removing the largest fibroid, weighing 3.4 kg, and heaviest uterus, at 4.1 kg, through laparoscopic surgery. He had trained more than 600 gynaecologists for laparoscopic surgery.
Dr Manjula Anagani, senior gynaecologist and laparoscopic surgeon in the city, who had worked very closely with Dr Sinha, said, "He was one of those who would tell all doctors to ensure that they balance their life properly. He was full of life and a very good professor. His death shows that mental and physical stress on doctors is very high and they have to work on ways to deal with it.”
A senior doctor on condition of anonymity said, “Dr Sinha was only 60 years of age but his life was stressful as he was managing work, passion for fitness and socialising, which is a part and parcel of Mumbai life. All these commitments add to the physical and mental stress of the body. There was not enough rest in the form of sound sleep, which is also very important.”
While regular tests were carried out on Dr Sinha, senior cardiologists suspect it to be a case of acute myocardial infarction where the blood flow to the heart is abruptly cut off due to damaged tissue.
Senior cardiologist Dr Sunil Kapoor said, “Regular exercise, walking, cardio and other forms of exercise cuts the risk of heart attack by 50 per cent but does not completely eliminate it. Heart attack remains the first cause of death and hence after a certain age, there is a need to detect minor blocks, ruptures in the valves via advanced tests which will help to prevent heart attacks.”
Senior surgeon Dr Arshad G. Mohammed, a Mumbai-based friend of Dr Sinha, said, “Sudden heart attack or AMI is not ruled out, but the fact that he was fit and had taken health tests regularly shows that all the required precautions were taken. He had packed 120 years of his life in 60 years. That’s what we found fabulous.”
