Heart Attacks Are On The Rise In Patients Aged 20
Not long ago, heart attacks were primarily a problem faced by older adults. It was rare for anyone younger than 40 to have a heart attack. Now 1 in 5 heart attack patients are younger than 40 years of age.
Heres another troubling fact to highlight the problem: Having a heart attack in your 20s or early 30s is more common. Between the years 2000-2016, the heart attack rate increased by 2% every year in this young age group.
Your outlook isnt better following a heart attack just because youre younger. Patients who have a heart attack in their 20s or 30s face the same risks as older patients. Once you have that first heart attack, you have the same chance of dying from a second major heart event or a stroke regardless of your age.
Calculate Your Risk Of Developing Heart Disease
The Australian Cardiovascular Disease Risk Calculatorhelps healthcare professionalscalculate a persons risk of developing CVD in the nextfiveyears. It was developed in association with the 2012 Absolute CVD RiskGuidelines.
You can read more about the Absolute CVD Risk Guidelines on the Heart Foundation website here. You can also find additional tools and information on the website to help you identify if you are at risk of heart disease.
If youre concerned about your heart , or youre due for a heart health check, make an appointment to see your GP.
This Is Not A Man’s Disease
Chest pains are also not necessarily the warning sign you’ll get that you are having a heart attack if you are a woman.
Professor Chow said women often perceive heart disease as something that happens to men and not them.
“I think women are good at getting breast screenings, pap smears, these sort of things,” she said.
“They’ve got it into their psyche that this is part of what they do and get those things checked out.
“But they don’t think that it’s necessarily part of what they do to get their heart assessed.”
While cardiovascular disease kills about 40 per cent more men than women, Professor Jennings said women tend to present for treatment later than men.
“Partly because there’s a feeling out there that heart attacks are for men, not so much a women’s issue, even though we know that’s not true,” he said.
“And partly because of the tendency we all have to say ‘it’s much more important to pick up the kids from school or finish what I’m doing before I go the hospital and see whether this is serious or not’.”
Professor Chow said the most upsetting thing was knowing heart attacks could be prevented.
“In that mid-period of your life, heart disease can hit, strike and take everything away,” she said.
“A lot of conditions come up on us slowly but it still seems that heart disease comes up suddenly in a lot of people’s lives.
“We shouldn’t be scared of heart disease, we should be trying to embrace and think about it more in our day-to-day life so we aren’t so shocked.”
Also Check: How To Get Your Heart Rate Up
Fully Vaccinated Brazilian Model 18 Dies Of Thrombosis Media Reports Death As Covid Complications
An 18-year-old Brazilian model, Valentine Boscardin, died just days ago from a thrombosis, which the media has linked to her bout with Covid-19.
The young girl was fully vaccinated and reportedly had no health problems. then suddenly fell gravely ill and had to be rushed to a hospital in San Paolo. The media reported that she had developed pneumonia and eventually succumbed to thrombosis.
Her mother, TV presenter and former model for Givenchy and Valentino, Marcia Boscardin, said: It is with great pain that i say goodbye to the love of my life.
Whilst her death has been attributed to Covid-19 complications, the girl had received two doses of the Pfizer jab, and only fell unwell post-vaccination. It seems that the media are quick to label her death as covid related, as they must protect the vaccines at all costs and stop readers using their brains and making the connection between the shots and her tragic death.
One Twitter user, Cristina Segui, wrote: Brazilian model Valentina Boscardin dies of Covid at age 18 They say that COVID caused a thrombosis. The truth is that he had received the 2 doses of the Pfizer vaccine. The question is: are consequences of vaccines being disguised, as consequences of COVID?
The Pfizer vaccine has previously been linked to adverse reactions such as blood clots, strokes, and other blood disorders. In fact, studies have shown that the risk of deep vein thrombosis and thrombocytopenia increases post-vaccination.
Causes Of Heart Attack In Young
“Heart ailments – inflammation, coronary artery diseases or even heart attacks are multifactorial in nature with various attributes – lifestyle i.e sedentary, obesity, food habits. Second important factor – pre-existing comorbidities or conditions – diabetes, hypertension, lipid disturbance.
Third important factor could be COVID infection and its long-term sequelae. Both delta and omicron variant of COVID induces mild to moderate inflammation, thrombosis – blood clot along with gradual changes in architecture of heart muscles and we have observed after COVID cardiac issues and problems.
As far as vaccine is considered no strong data to suggest adverse cardiac event or changes after vaccine,” says Dr Panda.
Follow more stories on &
You May Like: Foods To Avoid With Congestive Heart Failure
Serious Concerns Over Impact Of Covid
Despite 45 being the recommended age for a heart check, Professor Jennings has a stark warning for millions of Australians.
“If you’ve had COVID, make sure you have a heart check,” he said.
Major studies in the United States and United Kingdom have suggested a person’s risk of heart disease almost doubles in the year after they’ve had COVID-19.
In the US study, it didn’t matter what someone’s age, race, sex or pre-existing health was just having had the virus increased their risk.
The risk was still heightened for people who were not hospitalised while they had COVID-19.
“There’s some data coming along to suggest that heart attack and stroke rates are much higher in a year after COVID, particularly in non-vaccinated people,” Professor Jennings said.
“I think it’s going to be a big thing in the next year or so.”
Heart Disease Is Preventable If Detected Early
Assoc Prof Jepson is reassuring that if heart disease is detected early, a heart attack can be avoidable. The key is awareness and prevention, he says.
Having these tests early means heart disease will be flagged, Associate Professor Jepson says.
We can prevent coronary heart disease. Its not an inevitable consequence of aging. We can lower the risk as long as we identify and act on the signals early enough.
Also Check: What Does Increased Heart Rate Mean
Timeliness And Completeness Of Data
Each death registration in the national mortality dataset has 3 dates:
- The date on which the death occurred.
- The date on which the death was registered with the jurisdictional Registry of Births Deaths and Marriages .
- The date on which the death was lodged with the ABS.
| Reported at the end of the month the death occurred | Reported at the end of the month after the death occurred | Total portion reported at the end of the month after the death occurred | |
|---|---|---|---|
| All cause | |||
| Ischaemic heart disease |
45.2% |
||
| Chronic lower respiratory diseases |
45.4% |
||
| Influenza and pneumonia |
45.7% |
||
| Cancer |
46.9% |
||
| Dementia, including Alzheimers disease |
46.0% |
48.6% |
94.6% |
a. Percentages are based on the average of 5 years of receipt of death registrations.b. This table only includes doctor certified deaths.c. Data is subject to change.
The graph below shows how numbers of deaths for each period have increased over time as additional registrations that occurred in previous months are reported to the ABS. Due to these increases, data for the most recently reported periods should be treated with caution.
| 2015-19 range | |
|---|---|
| 2,623 | 2,488 |
When To Get Your Heart Checked
At the time, Mr Heming didn’t think what was happening to him was a heart attack.
“I did drink a lot and smoke, and wasn’t terribly fit, and I was overweight,” he said.
“It was unexpected from my point of view, a total shock with very little warning apart from being overweight.”
There are several known risk factors that increase the risk of a heart attack including smoking tobacco, high blood pressure, abnormal cholesterol, diabetes, being overweight or physically inactive.
Mr Heming’s heart attack was in 1984.
Today, it is recommended people aged 45 and over or 35 for First Nations people get their heart health checked.
Clara Chow, president of the Cardiac Society of Australia and New Zealand, said people with a family history of coronary disease should also get a check-up five years before that relative had an episode.
“If you had a relative who had a heart attack at age 45, you should probably get checked from 40,” Professor Chow said.
There’s no magic number that increases your risk of a heart attack it can happen at any age.
But one number in Australia that’s become associated with it is 52.
Don’t Miss: Does Arousal Increase Heart Rate
Improving Access To Care
Access to preventative care, specialist support and rehabilitation following a heart attack is critical to reducing death and disability of heart disease.
More can be done to improve access to care, especially in priority groups such as women from culturally and linguistically diverse communities, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women, and women living in rural and remote Australia.
Better access to care requires ensuring primary care workforce capacity, especially in rural and remote areas, as well as funding and policies to increase access to primary care nurses, nurse practitioners and cardiac rehabilitation services.
Telehealth is a valuable tool to improve access to GPs and specialist cardiac services, especially in rural and remote areas.
All Australians have had a wake-up call to be aware of their heart health. Reducing your risk of heart disease begins with making a GP appointment for a heart health check to get personalised support to live a healthy life.
Sally Inglis, Professor, Heart Foundation Future Leader Fellow, IMPACCT, Faculty of Health, University of Technology Sydney Clara Chow, Cardiologist at Westmead Hospital Director of the Westmead Applied Research Centre, University of Sydney, and Patricia Davidson, Vice Chancellor, University of Wollongong
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license.
About Sutherland Heart Clinic
Sutherland Heart Clinic is a major interventional cardiology centre colocated
within Sutherland Hospital at Caringbah in Sydneys south. The clinic offers a wide range of procedures including diagnostic studies, angioplasty procedures and pacemaker procedures.
Learn more about our clinic, cardiology procedures, and what to expect if youll be visiting Sutherland Heart Clinic for a procedure.
Read more:
Don’t Miss: Types Of Heart Surgeries
Read More About The Spread Of Covid
Professor Chow said the pandemic had also resulted in fewer people getting check ups as people were in lockdown and stayed at home.
“A number of patients that I’ve know for a long time were less likely to present,” she said.
“We tried to do things with telehealth, which was a lot harder, to keep a good eye on their health.
“We’re starting to see the change again, a lot of those people are coming back out of the woodwork.”
People aged 45 and over 30 and over for First Nations people who are not yet known to have cardiovascular disease can currently get a free Heart Health Check, a 20-minute consultation with GP or medical professional, that’s covered by Medicare.
However, the subsidy is temporary and next year the federal government is due to consider whether it should remain.
“We hope it will be made more permanent,” Professor Jennings said.
The good news is that due to research, medication and intervention, heart health in Australia has dramatically improved over time.
Since Mr Heming had his heart attack in the 80s, rates of cardiovascular disease have dropped about 80 per cent.
And while the deaths of people like Warne and Marsh are tragic, they profoundly influence people to reflect on their own health.
“I have no doubt that’s trigged a lot of men in their 50s, 60s and 70s to go and get themselves checked out,” Mr Heming said.
That’s 118 people every day.
Heart Attacks On The Rise Among Under
- Baton Rouge General
In the United States, someone has a heart attack every 40 seconds. But they arent just an issue for your grandparents generation, though its easy to see why many would think that. The average age of a first heart attack is 65 for men and 72 for women, but research continues to mount that heart attacks are on the rise among people under 40 years old.
Even though fewer heart attacks are occurring overall — in large part because of the use of medications like statins and a decline in smoking — very young people are having more heart attacks, rising by 2 percent each year for the last 10 years.
Another study found that hospitalizations for heart attacks are becoming more prevalent among those under the age of 55, particularly Black women. These younger women were more likely to have a history of conditions that can increase the chance of a heart attack, including hypertension, diabetes, chronic kidney disease and stroke. More research noted that those who experienced a heart attack under the age of 45 were more likely to be male, smoke, have obesity and have a family history of premature heart attacks.
A related study found that 1 in 5 patients who suffer a heart attack when they were under 50 years old also have diabetes. These patients have worse outcomes and to have repeat cardiovascular events.
Recommended Reading: Heart Ablation Surgery For Afib
How To Reduce Your Risk Of Heart Attacks
Taking steps to reduce the risk of heart disease and a heart attack is important for all women. Here are four things you can do today:
1. Get your heart health checked
Australians aged 45 years and older and Indigenous Australians aged 30 years and older can have a Medicare-funded heart health check with a GP.
During this appointment, your GP will calculate your risk of having a heart attack in the next five years. This will be done using information from your medical history, family history, lifestyle factors, and measurements such as your blood pressure and a blood test.
Tests may also include an ECG and CT calcium score. An ECG looks at your heart rhythm, while a CT calcium score measures the amount of calcium inside the walls of your hearts arteries. This can indicate a build-up of plaque inside the blood vessel that could increase your risk of a heart attack.
Based on your risk score, the GP will be able to provide treatment advice to reduce your risk of a heart attack. If the risk score is high, they may recommend specific medicines. At lower risk scores, lifestyle modifications such as changes to diet, exercise and quitting smoking may be recommended as the initial approach.
2. Quit smoking
Smoking substantially increases the risk of heart disease. It narrows and clogs the blood vessels, reducing blood supply and oxygen throughout the body. Smoking also makes the blood vessels stiff and unable to stretch.
3. Get moving
4. Swap unhealthy food
Alarming Rise In Sudden Heart Attacks Among Indians Post
As people took to social media about rising heart attacks in the young and seemingly fit people — on the street, at the dance floor, in the wedding and at the gym — leading cardiologists on Monday reiterated that long-term Covid could possibly be responsible in some cases and people must stop unaccustomed heavy exercise regimes.
The hashtag #heartattack has been trending on Twitter for the past 2-3 days, with several examples of sudden heart attacks in those who were otherwise healthy and fit.
“A 23-year-old girl failed and died suddenly at a wedding reception. Tragedy happened while dancing,” tweeted a user, along with posting a video.
Another Twitter user posted a video: “A young man died due to a heart attack while walking”.
According to the cardiologists, the steep rise in people dying unexpectedly of heart attacks is alarming.
“Though we do not have sufficient data and evidence to prove whether this is a covid induced phenomenon, definitely this has increased post covid . Long term Covid sequelae could possibly be responsible in some cases,” Dr. Samir Kubba, Director-Cardiology, Max Super Speciality Hospital, Vaishali, told IANS.
Last month, TV actor Siddhaanth Vir Surryavanshi, who acted in popular shows such as ‘Kkusum’ and ‘Kasautii Zindagi Kay’, died from a heart attack at age 46. He was working out in the gym when he suffered the attack.
You May Like: Congestive Heart Failure Meaning
Whitney Peterson: Arizona Woman With Preexisting Immune Blood Disorders Just Wants To Live Again After Post
MESA, ARIZONA Ms. Whitney Peterson has overcome a lot in her life. She suffers from Mast Cell Activation Syndrome , which is essentially chronic anaphylaxis due to false internal signals. Ms. Peterson also suffers from Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome, or POTS. It is a circulatory disorder that causes brain fog, fainting and elevated heartbeat.
Ms. Peterson managed those two conditions with dietary supplements and lived a relatively-normal life as a result. She loves the outdoors and frequently went hiking and camping.
All of that changed with one fateful decision that shell regret for the rest of her life. Ms. Peterson received her first Moderna mRNA injection on October 12.
She developed chest tightness less than a week later. That was followed by shortness of breath, to the point that she could barely move without becoming winded.
Ms. Peterson finally called her doctor after a week of symptoms and hoping she would heal on her own. Doctors advised her to go to the emergency room. But due to being immunocompromised and afraid of catching COVID-19 at a hospital, she refused.