PHOENIX — Heart attacks are becoming more common among younger people
In fact heart attacks rates for people under 40 years old have climbed two percent every year for the past decade.
Days after Luke Perry’s death at 52 from a stroke, and former miss teen universe dying from a heart attack at age 20 while on vacation, it's a grim reminder no matter how old, you’re far from invincible.
And now, an alarming new study out of Harvard confirms an increase in heart attacks among young adults.
Dr. Suneil Jain a naturopathic physician in Scottsdale says it’s a statistic that used to be incredibly rare.
“A heart attack basically is an inflammatory reaction, there’s so many things we are doing in our lives these days that promote inflammation, we are stressed out, we are not eating right we have chemicals and preservatives in our food we may not be exercising,” Dr. Jain said.
And these young patients have the same risk of dying from another heart attack or stroke as those in their 40s and 50s. Researchers say the decade-long trend may be the result of increased alcohol and drug abuse.
“Those are obvious we have to think about things that are not so obvious, like I’m not getting enough sleep tonight, I’m gonna grab some fast food, or I’m gonna skip exercise today because I’m too tired,” Dr. Jain said.
The symptoms of a heart attack can vary from person to person. Both men and women can have the classic chest pain. Women may also have non-traditional symptoms, feelings of having the flu, or nausea, jaw pain, neck pain.
