The overall rate of heart attacks is diminishing in the US but not among all age groups. In fact, a recent study revealed that heart attack rates are rising in adults in their 20s and 30s that seemed as an unlikely group.
To add to it, despite the relatively young age they also have the same rate of bad outcomes (including death) as those who are older.
Senior study author Dr. Ron Blankstein, states that it used to be extremely rare to see anyone under the age of 40 come in with a heart attack. She states, “Based on what we are seeing, it seems that we are moving in the wrong direction.”
The findings have not been published yet but they will be presented on March 17 at the American College of Cardiology annual scientific sessions meeting in New Orleans.
The study is based on 2100 patients that had a heart attack between 2000 and 2016, from the age of 50 and below. Around 20% were 40 years old or younger – 1 in 5 patients. However based on the researches, over the last 10 years of the study, the number of patients 40 and younger has risen by about 2 percent per year.
Additionally, the younger age group were just as likely to die after a heart attack as the older age group. Blankstein said that even if you are in your 20s or 30s you’re at risk for more cardiovascular events once you’ve had a heart attack. The same rate of traditional risk factors for heart disease including high blood pressure, diabetes, smoking and family history exists between the young and older age groups.
Nonetheless, the younger age group were more likely to report substance abuse such as cocaine and marijuana compared to the older age group. To be precise, 18 percent of the younger group reported substance abuse in comparison to the 9 percent of the older group. This suggests that substance use may be an influential factor to this trend of heart attacks among young people. More research is required to confirm this.
The younger patients were also less likely to take statins and aspirin after a heart attack episode. It could mean that doctors may be less likely to recommend these medications to the younger age group.
Nevertheless, more studies are needed on this matter to gain a better understanding as to why heart attacks are rising among young people. Management of risk factors and heart disease prevention still applies to all age groups.
