I was only 30 years old when I contracted CHF. It was many years before it really started to bother me. I am 54 now, didn't take very good care of myself because I didn't realize the seriousness that CHF commanded. I suppose I thought I was immortal. So, Take Care Of Yourself!!!! DO WHAT THE DOCTOR TELLS YOU!!! How wonderful that you quit smoking!!! I was never able to do it and am now paying a heavy price of carrying around an O2 tank with me where ever I go in order to breathe. When I was young I thought that 54 was very old and would never really come. Well, it did and now that it is here...it is not so very old as I had thought. Take care of your body, you only get to have one.
While you are young to have this diagnoses, you certainly are not alone; infants can have CHF.
There is no average age to get CHF. Some people get it from having a virus that attacks the heart, some people get it from drugs, and some people get it because of family history or high blood pressure. It is very serious, so you need to be very careful what you eat. The best thing would be to eliminate red meat. Eat organic fresh vegetables, organic fresh fruits, brown rice, salmon for the omega 3. Do not eat fast food or food from restaurants as they are usually packed full of salt and fat. There are wonderful new procedures coming from stem cell research. They are doing stem cell in other countries now. Not sure when it will be in the US. Take care of yourself and make sure to get plenty of rest and avoid stress. Watch for the stem cell updates.