The sudden passing away of journalist Payal Mehta has left her peers, colleagues and friends in shock, particularly because of the pace at which everything happened as the symptoms appeared suddenly. According to an update on shared by journalist Sheela Bhatt on X, Mehta developed sudden uneasiness while she was in Mumbai and was rushed to the hospital around 2 a.m., where her pulse stopped working before the treatment could even be monitored.
According to the reports, the exact medical cause of her death has not been made public yet but her pulse stopping has been mentioned and clarified. Medically, the sudden loss of pulse, of someone who is otherwise healthy, is consistent with a cardiac arrest. This is a condition in which the heart abruptly stops pumping blood effectively. Cardiac arrest is also distinct from a heart attack, although a heart attack can sometimes trigger the former. This distinction is also important because it would be inaccurate to conclude from the available information that Mehta died from a heart attack.
But perhaps the most important takeaway from the circumstances being reported is a deceptively simple word: uneasiness.
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When Should Uneasiness Worry You?
Feeling uneasy is actually a broad description and could mean many things. It can be exhaustion as a result of stress or dehydration, an infection building up or something relatively minor as well. But when the feeling is sudden, unusual or accompanied by other symptoms, that is when it deserves the utmost attention.
When it comes to heart, the matters are serious and time-sensitive. Heart-related problems usually don’t begin with the dramatic chest pain. Warning signs can include a number of things like pressure around the chest area, breathlessness, discomfort, lightheadedness, nausea, unusual tiredness, sweating or discomfort in the arms, neck, jaw or back. Women can also sometimes experience symptoms that are less traditionally associated with a heart attack where they go through unusual fatigue, shortness of breath, nausea or back and shoulder discomfort.
That is why an unexplained feeling that something is seriously wrong should not simply be dismissed as anxiety or tiredness. And there are symptoms that should trigger immediate emergency medical help: severe breathlessness, fainting, chest discomfort, sudden collapse, a person becoming unresponsive or not breathing normally. In suspected cardiac arrest, every minute matters. CPR and an automated external defibrillator, when available, can be lifesaving.
The same urgency applies to neurological symptoms. Sudden facial drooping, weakness or numbness in one arm, difficulty speaking, sudden vision changes, loss of balance or a severe unexplained headache can indicate a stroke. The American Stroke Association recommends remembering B.E. F.A.S.T. – Balance, Eyes, Face, Arm, Speech, Time, and seeking emergency help immediately.
There is no way to know from the publicly reported account exactly what happened to Payal Mehta medically. But her sudden death is a reminder that ‘I don’t feel right’ is sometimes worth listening to. When uneasiness is sudden, persistent or accompanied by other warning signs, waiting to see if it passes can cost precious time.
Her earlier stroke is also part of the reported history. The accounts also mention about Mehta recovering from a minor stroke about 18 months earlier as they pay tributes to her life. However, currently, there is no publicly established information showing that the earlier stroke caused or directly contributed to her death. A previous stroke does, however, remain an important piece of medical history. People who have experienced a stroke are at increased risk of another stroke, which is why new neurological symptoms should never be brushed aside.