Researchers reported that deaths from severe first heart attacks among adults 18 to 54 rose 57 percent between 2011 and 2022, driven largely by high rates of diabetes, chronic kidney disease, and drug use. Women consistently faced worse outcomes than men in heart attacks, receiving fewer procedures and dying at higher rates, according to researchers. 8 per 100,000 deaths in women aged 25-44, with more than 29,000 women dying of the condition during that period.
Experts suggested the spike may be because women are prescribed blood pressure-lowering medications at lower rates than men, and heart disease treatment and awareness efforts have often focused on men and postmenopausal women, with less attention given to cardiovascular risks in younger women. Researchers also found that nontraditional risk factors like stress, sleep, and mental health mattered more than traditional ones such as age, smoking, high blood pressure, diabetes, and obesity in predicting death from heart attacks. Long-term risks from elevated blood pressure in early adulthood were highlighted in a South Korean study, with major media reports indicating that adults with high blood pressure throughout their thirties faced a higher risk of heart disease, stroke, or kidney disease in midlife after turning 40.
5 times more likely to get a heart condition compared to those with the lowest readings, according to major media reports. A blood pressure reading of 130/85 throughout early adulthood could increase the risk of heart and kidney disease, major media reports said.