Frankly i am ignorant . I dont know whether Bruce is a doctor or a Mr . Actually being a non cardiologist it doesnt matter to me. But what i know is the tread mill test done according to Bruce protocol has some degree of accuracy especially when correlated with other tests and risk factors , is researched and lot of people more intelligent and hardworking than me has tested it and millions of people has benefited from it .
Treadmill test is one of the tests used by cardiologists . Recently one of my "malayali" friends commented that he climbs stairs and since no pain comes he has ruled out heart disease . I thought "wow " . If that is the case why all other people are wasting their time consulting doctors ?
This is not an isolated case of ignorance . Many people who are experts in their field have some contorted knowledge of medical science . Agreed human body is complex and many tests have their limitations . But reading many of these subjects in depth purely out of curiosity i have still not found a layman who talks sense .
I have met another gentleman who thinks if sweating daily and doing outdoor exercise cardiac disease is completely ruled out . This is told with so much attitude that i am surprised why he didnt complete his graduation leave alone medicine but in any subject . And even a cursory google search has lots of articles on sudden death during exercise due to various cardiac causes including a range of heart rhythm abnormalities .
Venting aside :) . cardiac disease is rampant among kerala population . And compared to westerners it strikes earlier in keralites . Its ordinary logic that a man , breadwinner , dying suddenly in his 40s with two young children is more devastating than a 80 year old especially when it is sudden death . And one of the presentations of cardiac disease is sudden death .
I know many people who have died in their forties and when men in their 50s talk about stairs as a novel way of testing their heart i can only express my pity and wonder at the arrogance of my fellowmen . Its not ignorance but arrogance which makes them speak so in the internet age .
Whenever you suspect any illness get a consultation by a doctor . Maybe it will prevent you becoming a statistic in a research paper on early cardiac death in keralites . And stairs are NOT tests for any illness . They can be even dangerous for some people . Treadmill tests are monitored continuosly by ECG and cardiologists are defintely more knowledgeable than the average layman .
