Jim Liu, a cardiologist at Ohio State University, explains why heart disease is on the rise in young people.
Several studies have shown that young people are more likely to die from heart attacks today than they used to be.
A sedentary lifestyle, vaping, poor sleep and chronic diseases could be responsible for this development, according to the doctor.
Heart problems are on the rise – surprisingly among young people.
The number of deaths from heart attacks has risen by almost 30 percent in people between the ages of 25 and 44 since the beginning of the corona pandemic Study of Cedars Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles in 2022.
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One further study from Johns Hopkins University, published in 2018, found that the rate of heart attacks increased in women aged 35 to 54 even though the all-cause death rate from heart disease had decreased. The study looked at 28,000 heart attack hospitalizations over a 20-year period.
The term heart disease encompasses heart health problems such as heart attacks, irregular heartbeats or other damage to different parts of the organ. High blood pressure, high cholesterol and cigarette smoking are usually the main causes of many types of heart disease. But lifestyle changes and societal developments could also be responsible for the increase in heart disease among young people, according to Jim Liu, a cardiologist at Ohio State University’s Wexner Medical Center.
Liu told Business Insider that over the past five to 10 years, more and more young people with heart disease have come to see him. Surprisingly, the cardiologist explained that many of his new, younger patients lack the traditional risk factors for heart disease and may be more susceptible to other problems and indicators that could increase the overall risk.
In addition, a Ohio State University surveythat 47 percent of those under 45 don’t think they’re at risk for heart disease — a trend that Liu said could also be responsible for the rise in heart attacks.
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One cause could be the recent rise in obesity, Liu said. The number of people affected by obesity in the US increased according to federal data from 3 percent before the pandemic to 4.4 percent between 2020 and 2021 as more people increased their alcohol consumption. Young people tend to lead sedentary lifestyles anyway, and Liu said the pandemic may have led to an even lower rate of exercise.
Obesity is also a problem in Germany. According to the German Obesity Society 53 percent of women and 67 percent of men are overweight. This means that the affected individuals have a body mass index (BMI) of over 25.
“Perhaps because of the pandemic, people are a little less active and eating worse,” Liu said. “This could translate into worsening blood pressure, weight gain and long-term health problems, particularly cardiovascular ones.”
According to Liu, young people may also be unaware of some lesser-known risk factors for heart disease. For example, vaping and e-cigarettes can put just as much strain on the heart as regular cigarettes. Other risk factors that make young people in particular vulnerable to heart disease include illicit drug use, poor sleep and chronic conditions such as lupus, rheumatoid arthritis and HIV, the doctor said.
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Overall, however, Liu said more research is needed to fully understand why Americans develop heart disease at a younger age than they used to. Meanwhile, the doctor encouraged young people to become more aware of the lifestyle factors that contribute to poor heart health and the importance of exercise and diet in preventing the problem and reducing risk factors.
“If you already have a specific condition, like high blood pressure, diabetes, or high cholesterol, you should definitely get routine check-ups with a doctor,” Liu advises. “Also, it’s important that you stick to a healthy lifestyle.”
This article was translated from English by Stefanie Michallek. You can find the original here.