Men with heart disease risk death during marathon sex – Cardiologists
Men with underlying heart conditions may be at risk of sudden death during marathon sex if heart fitness status is not ascertained and the organ becomes stressed beyond capacity, urologists and cardiologists have warned.
They cautioned that though sexual intercourse is pleasurable, it is an energy-sapping exercise that can lead to stroke and cardiac arrest in those with weakened hearts.
Speaking variously, the specialists advised those with a history of heart-related diseases to carry out periodic heart and general fitness examinations to ascertain their health status before having sex or using sex-enhancing drugs.
A Consultant Cardiologist at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Idi-Araba, Lagos, Dr. Akinsanya Olusegun-Joseph warned that those with heart conditions like cardiomyopathy or adhesive heart disease may be at high risk of sudden death during marathon sex.
He said, “Sex is an energy-demanding activity, though pleasurable. Anything that is too demanding would make the heart work more and put it under pressure and stress. With this, the heart has to work a bit more to cope with the demands of extra activities.
“So, if the heart is challenged beyond its natural capacity, it becomes life-threatening. It is at this point that most people succumb during sex. If a man who has maybe an adhesive heart disease does not take care of his blood pressure, the heart is going to suffer more strains and extra activity and marathon sex, could prove fatal.
“Marathon sex means a prolonged and extra activity for the heart. It’s like somebody in a marathon race. Someone, who is not fit and running a marathon race may drop dead too. So, marathon sex is like running a marathon race or doing a demanding task.
“Usually, it happens to those people who have a background of heart diseases. This is not the only reason but a major reason people die during sex. If a patient with cardiomyopathy, for example, engages in marathon sex, the patient can develop a heart attack or sudden cardiac death.
“Another condition that may arise as a result of that is stroke and if the stroke is severe, the person can die almost immediately. In LUTH, stroke is among the major causes of death in our emergency. We have done studies over time. It’s number one, followed by heart-related diseases like heart failure and all of that.
“So during a marathon, a heart attack can occur including sudden heart failure, cardiac death, abnormal heartbeat, and consequently, death. More of these deaths take place among people with a history of heart disease, which is the reason I would advise every adult to take care of their heart as well as their health.
“If you have any heart-related issues, visit your doctor and check yourself. Ensure you keep to your doctor’s appointments and take your medications regularly. Eat healthy food and embrace healthy life.”
A Consultant Urologist and a professor at the University of Port-Harcourt, Rivers State, Onyeanunam Ekeke, said there reports have shown that more men are dying during sexual escapades, but that without a survey, the claim cannot be ascertained.
He said, “Yes, there are some reports that more people are dying during sex escapades, that is a fact but without a survey, we can’t ascertain whether more people or less are dying during marathon sex. Also, there is no data on the people who died in previous years. It’s possible that the cases are rising because more people now have access to media and can report what they see, which might not be a true picture of the claim
“Until such research is conducted to ascertain this claim, we will not conclude that more people are dying while on marathon sex.”
