38-year-old actor dies after cardiac arrest on treadmill Gym, Friends Unaware Of Abir Goswami’s Heart Condition

 TV and film actor Abir Goswami (38) passed away on Friday afternoon after suffering a massive heart attack while on a treadmill in his gym. He was rushed to a nearby hospital around 1.50pm, where he was declared dead on arrival. 

    Abir, who starred in the serial 'Pyaar Ka Dard Hai', currently on air, had acted in several films, including Anurag Kashyap's to-be-released 'Ugly'. The actor reportedly had rheumatic heart disease, but the gym where he was a member for three years said he didn't mention it. Actor Sandeep Rajora, a member at the same gym who took him to the hospital minutes away, too didn't know. "His wife told us of his heart problem after he passed away," he said. Sonia Singh, a friend of the actor and his family, said, "Sandeep called from the gym to say Abir had fainted and was having trouble breathing, so he wanted to get in touch with a family member. I called Abir's wife Koel, who said he had breathing issues for a while and added she was rushing to the gym. Abir had a rheumatic heart and was a smoker." The actor was married a year ago. 
    A staff member at the gym said, "He did not mention anything about his health condition in his membership form. He had a trainer in the first year, thereafter he worked out on his own. He said he only wanted to tone up his body." Dr Aashish Contractor, preventive cardiologist from Asian Heart Institute, Bandra Kurla Complex, said, "Many people hide their health problems from their gyms because they don't want to be told 'no'. But cases such as this underline the fact that if you know you have a heart disease, make sure you get your cardiologist to clear your exercises." 
    Doctors advised against rigorous exercise without medical tests and advice. "A normal person who exerts himself can also collapse suddenly," said cardiologist Dr Brian Pinto, who consults at Nanavati and Holy Family Hospitals. However, doctors said a person with a known heart condition should be extra cautious. Medically speaking, patients with rheumatic heart disease have to be assessed to establish the extent of the problem. If it is negligible, the person can lead a normal life. "But if the person has a big lesion then one should be careful," said a doctor with a government hospital. Dr Pinto added, "A person with rheumatic heart disease may be at a higher risk, medical advice is important." 
    Friends of the actor found the incident difficult to believe. Filmmaker JD Majithia said, "This has scared and shocked all of us. He was such a fit person.'' Actor Rakshanda Khan too said Abir was "a fit person". Friends like Kashyap and Ronit Roy rushed to the hospital on hearing the news. 
    Sandeep said, "Abir was not even sweating when he collapsed. But some people at the gym said that he had complained of backache a day earlier.'' 
    However, Sandeep claimed the hospital staff were non-cooperative. "As soon as I placed Abir on the hospital bed the doctor checked his pulse and said he was no more. I told him to at least try CPR,'' he said. "They gave us trouble even when releasing the body," said Sonia, adding, "The doctor told me to take him away. When I asked for a death certificate or a postmortem, he replied, 'He was brought dead, what more you 
    want to know?'." The 
    body was later taken 
    for post-mortem to 
    Bhagwati Hospital. 
RHEUMATIC 
HEART 
DISEASE Rheumatic heart disease is caused by rheumatic fever, which in turn is caused by a bacterial infection. Rheumatic fever occurs in childhood, but not all kids with fever get rheumatic heart disease 
    Rheumatic fever can cause swelling in the heart, joints, brain, and spinal cord and can damage or weaken heart valves 
Problems with the heart may be evident early, or it may occur long after the infection 
Rheumatic heart disease is characterized by heart murmurs, abnormal pulse rate and rhythm, and congestive heart failure, and requires aggressive treatment 
    Patients may need low-sodium diet and diuretics. Exercise should not be very strenuous ABIR GOSWAMI 
Recent Shows | Starred in the shows 
Pyaar Ka Dard Hai, Badaltey Rishton Ki Daastan 
Previous Serials | Kkusum, Hotel Kingston, Yahan Main Ghar Ghar Kheli, Chhoti Maa 
Films | Starred in Anurag Kashyap's to-be-released Ugly; Earlier notable films include Farhan Akhtar's Lakshya, Raj Kumar Santoshi's The Legend of Bhagat Singh 
ADVISORY BEFORE RIGOROUS EXERCISE 
Don't start your exercise regimen with rapid activity like treadmills 
It is better to take up walking for a month or two before hitting the gym 
Always warm up 
It is better to exercise in the evening because the body is warmed up by then 
Before taking up strenuous gymming, it advisable to do a heart check including ECG, a 2-D echo and stress test. It will help rule out conditions like hypertropic cardiomyopathy (a condition in which a portion of the heart muscle is too thick to beat normally) 
People should exercise at 60-80% of their target heart rate. Target rate can be calculated as 220 minus the person's age. So, a 40-year-old person should not let his heart rate cross 80% of 180 (220-40=180) (Source: Cardiologist Brian Pinto from Nanavati & Holy Family Hospitals)