Heart attacks were once considered a disease for old people especially men, but according to research by the American Heart Association, it is increasingly occurring in younger people, especially women.
According to the American Heart Association published in the AHA journal Circulation, The research included data from a multi-state study of more than 28,000 people hospitalized for heart attacks from 1995 to 2014.
The results showed 30 percent of those patients were young, age 35 to 54.
“Cardiac disease is sometimes considered an old man’s disease, but the trajectory of heart attacks among young people is going the wrong way. … It’s actually going up for young women,” said Dr. Sameer Arora, the study’s lead author.
“This is concerning. … It tells us we need to focus more attention on this population.”
According to the findings, women who went to the hospital were not treated like men for various reasons.
“Traditionally, coronary artery disease is seen as a man’s disease, so women who come to the emergency department with chest pain might not be seen as high-risk,” he said.
“Also, the presentation of a heart attack is different in men and women. Women are more likely to present with atypical symptoms compared to men, and their heart attack is more likely to be missed.” Dr. IIean L. Piña, one of the cardiologists involved said “The number one killer of women is not breast cancer or uterine cancer; the number one killer of women is heart disease,” she said.
“And until we pay attention to this, these kinds of figures are going to keep coming up.” The study also found that high blood pressure and diabetes were rising among all patients who had heart attacks.
Compared with young men in the study, young women were even more likely to have high blood pressure, diabetes and chronic kidney disease.
In conclusion, it is advised that young people especially women and their families become more aware of their heart’s health and live a lifestyle that would help them live longer.
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