Julie Powells death at 49 puts cardiac arrest in spotlight

Julie Powell’s death at 49 puts cardiac arrest in spotlight – GMA

GMA Newsletter

Her husband Eric Powell told the New York Times Tuesday that the author died of cardiac arrest on Oct. 26 at their home in Olivebridge, New York.

As many fans took to social media to express their condolences, questions surfaced about some of Powell’s recent tweets, including her recent recovery from COVID-19 and a “black hairy tongue.”

On Oct. 25, the day before Powell reportedly died, the food writer tweeted that she woke up with a black hairy tongue, adding, “People, including my doctor, seem to think it’s no big deal and will soon be gone, but it sure is gross.”

Black hairy tongue, while alarming to look at, is a benign and temporary condition that Dr. Darien can be caused by a variety of factors, including excessive alcohol, coffee, or black tea consumption, dehydration, smoking, poor oral hygiene, or even certain medications Sutton, a board-certified emergency room physician and ABC News medical worker.

Earlier this fall in September, Powell — who rose to fame as the food writer behind the Julie/Julia blog, which documented her journey in cooking all 524 recipes in Julia Child’s Mastering The Art of French Cooking — tweeted about her affliction of COVID-19 and wrote that her symptoms included fatigue and a cough.

According to Sutton, there is “no reason to believe” that Powell’s diagnosis of a black hairy tongue is related to her battle with COVID-19.

Sutton said we also had “no evidence” that her death was linked to her COVID diagnosis.

“I think the reason people have been speculating about this is because we know there’s a link between COVID-19 and an increased risk of certain medical conditions that can cause cardiac arrest,” Sutton said, noting, that the data shows that there are more patients with COVID-19 likely to be at increased risk of heart attacks, abnormal heart rhythms and blood clots.

In Powell’s case, the only known fact about her death is her husband’s report that it was due to cardiac arrest, which Sutton says is a broad term.

“It just means the heart stopped working,” he said of the cardiac arrest. “We don’t know her medical history other than what she shared in her tweets.”

The disease can be caused by a number of things like diabetes, smoking, unhealthy diet, lack of exercise, and more. Sutton added that it’s also possible to experience cardiac arrest due to factors unrelated to heart disease, such as: B. Problems with the lungs, electrolytes or blood disorders.

“Unfortunately, there are no real symptoms of cardiac arrest,” Sutton said. “Often it’s a sudden loss of consciousness.”

If you see a person lose consciousness, Sutton recommends dialing 911 immediately and beginning CPR.

The American Heart Association provides resources for people who want to educate themselves and train to provide first aid and CPR that can save lives.