Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, May 10: A day-long cardiac awareness and health check-up camp was organized by Dr Sushil Sharma (HoD Cardiology, GMC Jammu) at Gurudwara Harkishan Sahib to educate adolescents, young adults and families about the serious heart-related dangers of illegal drug abuse.
Addressing the gathering, Dr Sharma said illicit drugs have become one of the most destructive threats to cardiovascular health, causing sudden arrhythmias, heart attacks, chronic heart failure and fatal strokes, often in young adults who otherwise appear healthy.
He further stated that methamphetamine use is increasingly linked to severe cardiomyopathy, dilated heart failure and sudden cardiac death among youth. Opioids like heroin depress breathing, cause hypoxia and may expose users to infective endocarditis through contaminated needles, damaging heart valves and leading to heart failure or stroke. Cannabis and synthetic cannabinoids, often considered harmless, can also trigger tachycardia, arrhythmias and acute coronary syndromes.
Dr Sharma warned that many drug-related cardiac emergencies occur without warning signs, with apparently healthy young people collapsing due to ventricular fibrillation, heart attack or stroke. He said families suffer emotional and financial distress, while healthcare systems face repeated hospitalizations and intensive care burdens.
Calling for collective action, he urged parents, teachers, religious leaders and civil society to promote awareness, mental health support, addiction counselling and rehabilitation services.
Members of the Gurudwara management committee present on the occasion included Harjit Singh, Gajan Singh, Manjeet Singh, Balwinder Singh, Kundan Lal Sharma, Vijay Sharma, Neelam Sharma, Mamta Malhotra, Amrik Singh and Suresh Sharma.
Others associated with the camp were Dr Bhola Kumar, Dr Aditya Sharma, Dr Dushyant Sharma, while paramedics and volunteers included Raghav Rajput, Rajkumar, Gokul Jamwal, Rahul Vaid, Shubham Sharma, Mukesh Kumar, Mohd Altaf, Rajinder Singh, Anmol Singh, Gourav Sharma, Touseef Amin and Harjeet Singh.
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