An overall change in lifestyle including more screens and less physical activity is largely to blame.
SAN ANTONIO — Heart attacks among younger people are rising dramatically, with one in five now occurring in people under 40. Early detection of heart disease is key, which is a big reason why American Heart Month exists.
Heart disease is typically considered a disease for older people, as age is a big factor in the development of the condition. But doctors say they’re seeing more younger people developing things like diabetes or high cholesterol, that could impact their cardiovascular health in their later years. Dr. Hiren Patel, the Chief Medical Officer of United Healthcare of Texas/Oklahoma told us, “We are seeing trends with more and more high blood pressure are happening in, younger population, especially in the teens and 20s.” Dr. Marlene Garcia, an interventional cardiologist with University Health added, “I do think that, our habits are playing a big role and that are habits and stress. Obesity is a big problem, especially in the south.”
Keeping stress levels low can aid your heart health as well. Also, make sure you give yourself enough time for a full night of sleep, because too much weight can strain your heart too. Dr. Neha Pathak, the Chief Physician Editor for Health and Lifestyle Medicine at WebMD said, “How we increase our physical activity, how do we sleep better? How do we manage stress better? All of those things go in to making sure that we can reach healthier weight.”
To better combat heart disease later in life younger people need to avoid diabetes, not be overweight or obese, have a healthy diet, get regular physical activity, and avoid smoking and alcohol. If you have any of those risk factors, or a family history, Dr. Garcia says a heart screening is a must. She told us, “Some of them include CT scans to develop or to see if you have already developed plaque in your arteries. And, there are stress test to see if some of those, blockages in your heart are already causing problems to your heart.”
WebMD experts say weight management is multifaceted, which is why they launched Embody, a whole-self health and weight management platform, designed for those people who feel like they have ‘tried everything’ with little results.