The death of former heartthrob singer Thanut "Joe Boyscout" Chimtoum on Saturday is raising awareness of the condition of angina and prompted doctors to warn sufferers to always have anti-anginal drugs on hand.
Thanut Chimtoum
The lead vocalist of the once-popular boy band Boyscout collapsed while performing on stage at a bar in Wang Thong Lang district of Bangkok in the early hours on Saturday.
He lost consciousness and died shortly afterwards.
Dr Pornchai Sutheerakhun, acting deputy chief of the Police General Hospital, said the 44-year-old singer had a high blood sugar level exceeding 300 milligrammes.
The singer died of myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, according to Dr Pornchai.
Dr Sant Hathirat, president of the Thai Association for Emergency Medicine, said the high blood sugar did not kill Thanut but it contributed to the constriction of coronary arteries, leading to a heart attack.
Sufferers of MI require prompt cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) to be performed by an emergency team of medics.
More people should be made aware of the urgency of calling the emergency team in time and educated about how they can correctly perform CPR on MI sufferers.
In Thailand, about 45% of people who die from sudden deaths were killed by coronary artery diseases, according to Dr Sant.
The association has recommended people who develop an early stage of constricted artery to always have with them isosorbide dinitrate (ISDN), which belongs to a class of medications called anti-anginals. It is used to prevent angina, a chest pain that occurs when the blood supply to the muscles of the heart is restricted.
ISDN is taken orally and dissolved under the tongue. Sufferers who notice signs of angina such as chest pain and breathing difficulties should take ISDN, Dr Sant said.
The drug can increase the chances of surviving a heart attack. It works by relaxing blood vessels and increasing the blood and oxygen supply to the heart.
However, according to chealth.canoe.com, ISDN can have side effects including dizziness or lightheadedness, especially when getting up from a lying or sitting position, fast pulse, flushing of face and neck, headaches, nausea or vomiting and restlessness.
Dr Sant said the association is pushing for a subject on prevention of illnesses that can strike suddenly as well as CPR to be incorporated in school curriculum.
Meanwhile, Samrit Chimtoum, Thanut's father, said his son never complained of his illness as Thanut did not want the family to worry about his health. He said the singer was the family breadwinner and always asked him if he had enough money.
Bussakorn Chimtoum, the singer's manager, said she had no idea Thanut suffered any illness. He also did not appear to be in ill health, although she said the singer had had a busy work schedule of late.
