Work from home culture taking a toll on the young: Health experts

A 27-year-old woman recently collapsed and died. A doctor says no physical activity, work pressure and sedentary lifestyle might be the trigger. Representation pic

The Work from home culture for the past 18 months due to the Covid-19 pandemic has started taking a toll on many young working professionals who have led sedentary lifestyles due to it. It is a matter of concern, said health experts, after a 27-year-old complained of headache and collapsed at her house in Vikhroli East on Tuesday afternoon. Health experts have advised people to refrain from working for long hours at home and insist on physical movement and a healthy diet to avoid deep vein thrombosis, cardiac event and stroke.

The young woman was taken to Godrej hospital, where doctors declared her dead on arrival. During the autopsy, a blood clot of nearly 2 cm was found in her left lung (pulmonary embolism - a blood clot blocks part of the blood flow), as the reason for death.

The Vikhroli police sent the body for autopsy to the Rajawadi post-mortem centre. Autopsy surgeon Dr Rahul Jadhav said, "It was shocking that a young lady lost her life due to pulmonary embolism. The blood clot on her left lung might have been due to deep vein thrombosis. It may have passed through the blood and reached her left lung causing sudden death. Unfortunately, the victim was obese, and worked from home. With no physical activity, work pressure and sedentary lifestyle might be the trigger."

‘Mandatory 1-hour exercise every day'

"It is important that young professionals who work from home for long hours make it a habit to take breaks at regular intervals and mandatorily exercise for an hour daily to maintain their work and health balance," added Dr Jadhav.

"Everyone should monitor for signs of clots and possible stroke or heart attack, namely, facial drooping or loss of speech, weakness of one arm or leg, difficulty speaking, new swelling/ tenderness/ pain or discoloration in the arms or legs, sudden shortness of breath indicating a pulmonary embolism, or chest pain radiating to the neck, arms, jaw or back, etc. The fundamental principle is to keep the blood flowing with moderate mobility," said Dr Subhash Hira, professor of Global Health at the University of Washington-Seattle.

When asked if the woman's death could be from a Covid-19 vaccine reaction, he said, "We do not have any information about the vaccine received or the duration between the second vaccine and the event of death. Usually, few cases of coagulation post vaccines have been reported, but it hasn't led to serious cases of embolism. Any infection that leads to inflammation in the blood can lead to clots, and when they get dislodged, they can travel to the heart, brain or lungs, thereby causing embolism, paralysis, heart attack and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), that could have led to the death. Long working hours, no mobility and obesity were additional risk factors in her case."

‘Physical and mental health affected'

"Work from home as well as a sedentary and isolated lifestyle has led to both mental and physical problems. Anxiety, stress and social isolation have led to upsurgence of psychiatric diseases such as depression. Rapid weight gain, hypercholesterolemia and increased incidence of diabetes have led to adverse vascular consequences. Deep vein thrombosis, cardiac events and strokes despite being Covid-negative have claimed many lives. Sudden deaths in the early hours of the morning have been seen especially in young individuals. The exact cause of these events continues to be debatable. Regular exercise, avoiding fast foods and adequate hydration are advisable to prevent cardiac events and strokes," said Dr Ketan Vagholkar, professor of surgery at DY Patil Medical college.

‘Avoid prolonged sitting'

"In some individuals thrombosis in leg veins occurs due to prolonged seating without much movement ,and because of that pulmonary embolism, which is a life-threatening condition, can be caused. Whenever we have to sit for a longer time, always make sure to take small breaks and walk a little. Regular walking or any kind of exercise is always better," said Dr Santosh Bansode, head of the department, Emergency Medicine at Wockhardt Hospital.

Dr Wiqar Shaikh, professor of medicine, Grant Medical College and Sir JJ Group of Hospitals, said "Work from home has resulted in some unwarranted ailments, particularly in the younger and middle-aged population, who spend hours on end without physical activity."

Dr Wiqar Shaikh's solutions

1. Every hour, take a break for a few minutes and walk around the home
2. Drink adequate fluids to maintain hydration
3. Avoid mid-meal snacking
4. Eat plenty of green vegetables and fruits
5. If it is not possible to go out, walk within the house for half an hour, twice daily
6. A treadmill (if affordable) in the home would be ideal for adequate exercise