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ge, marriage and destiny '€” all are in God'€™s hands. Humans can only strive to maintain their health. The sudden and recent death of a singer, Yanni Libels, or Yanni Djunaedi, 41, should be a crucial lesson for all of us.

There is indeed a strong assumption that the cause of death of the deceased was heart attack, supported by his history of short of breath and chest pain.

Undeniably, heart disease must be suspected as a possible cause if the deceased person is short of breath '€” either with or without chest pain '€”  after climbing stairs or walking far distances before collapsing.

Symptoms that emerge when we are over 40 years old are signs that something wrong is happening in our body that needs immediate evaluation.

For those who are not at risk of heart disease, it is recommended to have a health check-up at age 40.

Moreover, the check-up should be done earlier for those at risk. By having a health check-up, we can detect illnesses or health disorders early.

No disease emerges abruptly.

However, the clinical manifestation may appear suddenly. The problem is that the health issues should be identified through regular examination and health check-ups.

In fact, whatever the problems, including gastrointestinal problems such as epigastric pain, bloating or abdominal distension, which emerge only when we are older than 40, are signs that we need immediate evaluation.

There are several risk factors for coronary heart disease, including smoking, hypertension, high cholesterol or hypercholesterolemia, hypertriglyceridemia, diabetes mellitus, a history of heart disease in the family and lack of exercise and stress '€” particularly for those over 40.

Risk factors for coronary heart disease can be prevented to avoid heart attacks.

The second lesson from this incident is that Yanni died at the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport after embarking from the airplane and while he was in the toilet.

Media reports suggest that when he collapsed, there was a janitor nearby who managed to give him first aid. It is indeed important for airport personnel, including janitors, to have routine training on basic life support, including cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).

Basic life support is the minimum life-saving technique that can be provided for passengers. This is the basic problem. Our community is largely not trained to do perform basic life-support techniques.

I have spotted automated external defibrillator devices at several sites at the Soekarno-Hatta airport '€” the portable device to check heart rhythms. But it is uncertain whether non-medical staff are trained to use them.

Basic life support training and the use of such devices must be routinely performed every two years.

Various medical professional organizations, including educational institutions and large hospitals, usually hold such training for non-professionals.

Again, age is a secret of God; humans can only strive to live healthily. Do your health check-ups when reach 40 years of age.  If you are at risk, do the check-ups earlier and make sure you are promptly treated by doctors whenever you show any symptoms, especially if short of breath after doing physical activity.

Non-professionals, especially those working at public places such as airports or malls, must be trained to provide basic life support so that when they find someone collapsing and becoming unconscious, they can perform life-saving treatment.
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The writer is medical practitioner.