Heart Attack on the Rise in Young People

One in five heart attack patients are younger than age 40.

Heart attacks have become more common in people in their 20s and 30s, increasing by two percent between 2000 and 2016.

Physicians are finding that the primary reason is diabetes and risk factors for heart attacks are developing at a much earlier age.

According to Mercy’s Elena D. Ghiaur, M.D., a board certified primary care doctor with the Bose Medical Group, lack of exercise, poor dietary choices and food portion control lead to people being overweight. She said prevention is the key.

"(That) means we need to start making changes toward good health habits as early as early childhood, making good dietary choices, portion control, exercising more," Dr. Ghiaur said.

Dr. Ghiaur added that people need to learn how to manage stress and treat risk factors, and that it's also important to control high blood pressure and discuss family history with your doctor.

To view primary care specialist Dr. Elena Ghiaur of Mercy Medical Center’s interview regarding heart attacks in young people, click here.