Young Women at Risk of Getting Heart Attack, Expert Explains

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - A recent discovery concerning women's health stated that young women are at risk of experiencing a heart attack. A cardiovascular epidemiologist from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, Melissa Caughey, explained that the current generation of women is lacking in health compared to the previous generation. This reflects a generally poorer level of health.

From 1995-1999, as quoted from Time magazine, 21 percent of young women were hospitalized due to heart attacks. In 2010-2014, the rate increased to 31 percent and continued to grow each year. Most of the women were 35-54 years old.

Researchers found that young women who experience heart attacks are more commonly known to have a history of high blood pressure, diabetes, kidney disease, and stroke compared to men of the same age.

Caughey also stated that the rates of obesity, stress, and low physical activity in young women could be the very cause of the issue. Despite this, young women have never received a heart attack treatment, with many rarely undergoing heart surgery as men do. This is because heart attack symptoms in women are more difficult to detect than in men.

According to a study conducted in 2018, most women show symptoms unrelated to a heart attack such as nausea, indigestion, abdominal pain, shortness of breath, sore jaw, and neck to shoulder.

For this reason, young women must have a high awareness of heart problems. Several ways to prevent heart disease in the future are changing diet, maintaining an ideal body weight, exercising regularly, and changing lifestyle.

Melinda Kusuma Ningrum | Translator: Intern / Imaji Lasahido

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