Having a heart attack is one of the major causes of death among people worldwide. But a new study conducted revealed something that made researchers more alarmed.
The recent study, which has been posted in the journal entitled Circulation, showed how younger women tend to suffer heart attacks nowadays, according to TIME. The study reveals that young women are more prone to this cardiovascular disease more than 30% more than all female patients.
Experts say that this situation can be blamed to most young women's poor and unhealthy lifestyle. Melissa Caughey, the co-author of the study and also a cardiovascular epidemiologist and instructor at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill School of Medicine, said, "Women now, compared to younger women generations before they are less healthy."
The researchers were able to dig deep into the study by looking into the data of about 30,000 people within the age of 35 and 74. These people were all hospitalized for suffering from a heart attack between the years 1995 and 2014.
The result of the research reveals that from 1995-1999, among all women who suffered from heart attacks 21% of them are "young" women (ages 35 to 54). In 2010-2014 on the other hand, the number increased to 31%.
Furthermore, the results also showed an alarming result when it comes to the rate of young males who suffered from this disease. From 30% to 33% in 1995-1999 and 2010-2014, the rate is high and has increased. But the good thing is, the increase is not as high as what happened with their counterpart.
Experts behind the study also revealed that younger women who had heart attacks tend to have a history of other diseases such as kidney disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and stroke. Their family history could also be one of the main reasons why they are more susceptible to these attacks as compared to other people of different age.
The problem doesn't just lie on the increasing rate of women suffering from heart attacks but also how these people receive their treatment.
Though researchers say that it is harder for experts to determine the symptoms of heart attack in men than women, women would tend to wait longer for treatment and medication as compared to men, as reported by Atlanta News Now.
Given this situation, the need for more treatment options for women is desperately needed especially with the increasing rate of women suffering from it. Moreover, "Guidelines focused on preventing cardiovascular diseases in women should continue to be updated and implemented in practice," the author behind the study concluded.
