Steven Ma Suffers Rare, Chronic Heart Condition

Steven Ma (馬浚偉) recently revealed that he suffers from a chronic heart condition, and must carry medicine with him everywhere he goes to control his heart rate in case of emergency. During a telephone interview today, Steven revealed that he has suffered from the condition for over eight years.

In 2007, Steven’s heart condition was first publicly mentioned when he fainted at home and had to be sent to the emergency room. Although Steven suspected heart arrhythmia at the time, the doctors eventually discovered that there are actually two nerves in Steven’s heart that behave abnormally when they come into contact, causing the heart to beat rapidly.

Steven shared that he experienced his last medical scare three months ago. “I bring my medicine with me every day because my heart beat can become irregular at anytime. It can reach over 170 beats per minute. Sometimes it beats so hard my whole body would jump!”

Steven stated that his family and colleagues are well aware of his condition. He reassures that his medicine can regulate his heart rate in under a minute. When asked if the disease can be fatal, Steven seemed not too worried. “My family doctor said that there is only about 1 out of 10,000 chance that someone can die from rapid heart beat, so I don’t think it is a big deal at all.”

Although Steven seems unconcerned, a senior heart specialist at Queen Elizabeth Hospital remarked in 2007 that the condition is caused by an extra nerve that short circuits another nerve responsible for regulating heart beat. This causes the heat to beat very rapidly, reaching over 200 beats per minute. During an episode, the patient may feel faint and find it difficult to breathe. The condition can even cause heart failure in extreme cases.

Source: Oriental Daily; Sina.com

This article is written by Katrine for JayneStars.com.