More and more young people arrive at the hospital, in a very serious condition, with myocardial infarction. This is especially the case with men under the age of 45 who were not in the records as patients with cardiovascular diseases and had not signaled any signs of concern. Lifestyle is the main cause.
Myocardial infarction affects many young people PHOTO The truth
Myocardial infarction is an extremely dangerous acute cardiovascular condition that can result in death. Basically, a heart attack occurs after one of the coronary arteries is blocked by a blood clot. The myocardium in the affected area is left without blood, and the area begins to become necrotic. If intervened in time, the blood flow can be resumed and the person is saved. Otherwise death occurs. Over time, this condition appeared in men over 50 years of age, and in women over 55 years of age. But the doctors noticed that the age decreased by at least 10 years in men. That is, more and more young men end up having heart attacks. Some at incredible ages, for example 24 or 25 years old. The reasons are varied and all relate to the lifestyle of the contemporary world, a lifestyle that makes us increasingly sick and can even kill us.
“We have an increased incidence for younger ages”
Ramona Guraliuc, the head doctor at the Emergency Reception Unit of the “Mavromati” Botoșani County Hospital, also works on the SMURD ambulances and is a highly experienced health professional. He has seen many serious situations, including patients suffering from myocardial infarction. The Botošan doctor says that the cases of very young patients who end up fighting for their lives after a myocardial infarction have increased considerably. Many of those who end up in serious condition did not even know they had heart problems. “We have an increased incidence for the younger ages, even 25-30 years old, we have also had situations of this kind. Obviously, there are also many young people who have cardio-vascular pathologies, and here we can start with arterial hypertension that we discover by chance.
One day when he felt sick, he presented to the emergency department, his blood pressure was taken, and we determined that it was a value, above the maximum accepted value. And then there is a cardiological consultation, treatment, then monitoring and establishing a chronic treatment”, says doctor Ramona Guraliuc. In fact, according to Eurostat statistics, in 2019, Romania ranked second in the European Union, just after Bulgaria, in terms of deaths caused by cardiovascular diseases. However, the phenomenon manifests itself globally. A study entitled “Death due to myocardial infarction in young patients: A study of 312 cases of sudden death”, conducted by an international group of researchers, revealed that myocardial infarction is the second cause of sudden death among young people. The most affected are men between the ages of 25 and 45. That is, young, active people. The same study shows that most died during sleep and most had undetected coronary artery disease.
Killed by the contemporary lifestyle
Doctors and researchers show that this condition, which kills an increasing number of young people, is a consequence of the lifestyle in the contemporary world. Increasingly processed foods, full of chemicals and unhealthy fats, plus poor quality nutrients. To these is added a large dose of stress, caused by the speed with which life is carried out in the digital age but also the need for higher earnings to face the challenges of urban life. Many young people feel able to work more and burn themselves out by having two or three services, just to earn more and by implication to afford more. Stress goes hand in hand, often with smoking and alcohol consumption. All this is a deadly cocktail that takes the lives of more than 1 million Europeans, almost half of whom are young people under 45.
In needy communities, the concern for tomorrow, with the overloading of as many jobs as possible, leads to the same dramatic phenomenon. “The environment in which we live, in which we carry out our activity is a cause. There are many harmful elements such as drug use, alcohol, tobacco. To which is added a very high level of stress. All this added up, to which we also add an incorrect diet, plus failure to observe sleep hours, increase the incidence of myocardial infarction in young people,” says doctor Ramona Guarliuc. According to a report by doctors Christina Tiu, president of the Romanian Society of Neurology, and Dragoș Vinereanu, president of the Romanian Society of Cardiology, 88% of people under the age of 45 who suffered a heart attack were smokers. The same specialists highlighted the fact that obesity among children has increased, with long-term effects, but also the number of teenagers who smoke regularly. In addition, in Romania, alcohol consumption is high.
The link between Covid 19 and youth crime
Several studies carried out especially in the United States have revealed the fact that the infection with COVID-19 could lead, as a complication, to serious cardiovascular problems. Including the formation of dangerous clots in the arteries, in young people. Doctor Susan Cheng, from the Department of Cardiology of the Smidt Heart Institute, in Los Angeles, United States, in an interview with the publication Today, stated that deaths caused by heart attacks among young people have increased, at least in the United States , with the COVID-19 pandemic. The doctor said heart attack deaths increased by about 30% in the 25-44 age group in the first two years of the pandemic. “Young people obviously shouldn’t die of a heart attack. Besides, he shouldn’t have a heart attack,” says Susan Cheng. However, American specialists explained how the infection with COVID-19 could influence the appearance of this deadly disease among young people. “Covid can generate a lot of problems at the cardio-vascular level. It appears to make the blood more viscous and increase the likelihood of blood clots. It also triggers inflammation of the blood vessels. ”, says Cheng for Today.
