Heart attacks are killing more young peopleand more women

"A new study reveals more young people in the U.S. who are hospitalized for heart attacks are dying. The study reports a steady increase in deaths in recent years among U.S. adults aged 54 and younger who had been hospitalized with their first severe heart attack. Rising trends were seen in both men and women, but young women experienced severe heart attacks at higher rates."

"This is not just an old person's problem, says Mohan Satish, the study's lead author and a cardiologist at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York City. Heart attacks are still more prevalent in older people in the U.S., but the trend in younger individuals poses an unsettling question, he says."

"I think a lot of younger people feel pretty invincible, she says, but cardiovascular risk factors don't particularly care how old you are. The researchers analyzed nearly one million hospitalizations from two types of heart attacks—a severe form called ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) and a less sudden but serious type called non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI)—between 2011 and 2022."

A recent study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association reveals a concerning trend: more young people in the U.S. are being hospitalized for heart attacks and dying from them. The research analyzed nearly one million hospitalizations between 2011 and 2022, examining two types of heart attacks: STEMI and NSTEMI. Deaths among adults aged 54 and younger who experienced their first severe heart attack have steadily increased in recent years. Both men and women show rising trends, though young women experience severe heart attacks at higher rates. These findings challenge the traditional perception that heart attacks primarily affect older adults, suggesting cardiovascular risk factors affect people regardless of age.

Read at www.scientificamerican.com