Can a person suffer a heart attack in their 20s? Yes, but it wasn’t always as widespread as it is now. A person under 40 years old experiencing a sharp pain in their chest after a heart attack used to be quite rare.
Then what changed? In simple terms, our way of life. A significant portion of the growth in heart attacks among young people can be linked to changes in lifestyle, such as:
- Increased amount of time spent in front of a computer.
- Consuming more fast food and highly processed foods.
- Reduced exercise (especially cardiovascular).
Reasons for the initial heart attacks
Age isn’t necessarily a factor for risk factors. Grandmas and grandpas are not the only ones who should be concerned about heart attacks.
Type 2 diabetes
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), having diabetes actually doubles your chance of developing heart disease, and those heart problems can arise at an early age.
The cause? Diabetes-related elevated blood sugar levels have the potential to harm heart-related blood vessels and neurons. This can result in coronary artery disease, which stops your heart’s blood supply from flowing properly.
Obesity and hypertension, two other disorders that might increase the risk of a heart attack, are also more common in people with diabetes.
Use of tobacco
The smoke from cigarettes contains around 7,000 different compounds. Your heart is only one of the many organs that suffer damage when you breathe in that poisonous mixture.
Smoking alters blood chemistry, which can lead to a buildup of waxy plaque in your arteries. This raises the possibility of a blockage resulting in a heart attack or stroke and makes it more difficult for blood to circulate normally.
Smoking is linked to about 1 in 5 fatalities from cardiovascular disease.
Misuse of substances
Researchers discovered that younger individuals who have experienced a heart attack are more inclined to report abusing drugs, such as cocaine and marijuana. (The older and younger groups had similar other risk factors.)
Family history
Your risk of having an early heart attack may be influenced by your genetics.
Having a heart disease is determined by your inherited risk by having a:
- A first-degree male relative under 55 who has a history of heart attack or stroke, such as your father, brother, or son.
- A first-degree female relative under 65 who has a history of heart attack or stroke, such as your mother, sister, or daughter.
The best defense against a heart attack is to stop heart attack risk factors from worsening before they become an issue. Your chances of success increase with the sooner you act.
In the end, it’s critical to recognize the many heart attack risk factors, such as elevated blood pressure, a larger waist circumference, and an unhealthy body mass index, and to take steps to mitigate them.
