Increase in heart disease??

[NBCT]

Thank you for your time. I have been aware over the last many months of what seems to be an increase in heart related deaths in younger males and also females in my area alone which is one of the smallest states. The average age range is thirty to fifty years old.
I understand many factors play a part in each case...weight, smoking, diet, genetics, however, I am wondering if there has been a noted increase nationwide over the last decade or so of younger persons (30-50) being the new highest percentage of sudden cardiac related deaths or is the age range still the retired and elderly population? Have there been any changes made or discussed at conferences regarding annual physicals and testing of a younger patient as a preventative measure for heart disease, or is it still no signs or symptoms, no problem? Thanks again for your time and any input you may have.

[Cleveland Clinic]

NBCT,

Thanks for the post.

The question you are asking is an important one.  Are we seeing more  
sudden cardiac death because we are more aware of it or are we actually doing some good here?

The best data for this probably comes from the Framingham study, which is one of the most important ongoing studies in our society. Framingham as followed a population over several generations allowing us to peek into the results of our society's impact on health and disease.

The specific question looking at sudden cardiac death was looked at with this population and researches found over a 50% decrease in sudden cardiac deaths over the years. An impressive statistic.

A death in a young athlete usually results from other medical problems than CAD. Screening this population is important and there are guidlines to try to identify those at risk. It is truly a horrific tragedy when it happens, and garners the media attention you mention.

[anacyde]

Good question!  I noticed similar trends, but I don't see the whole picture so I did wonder.  My guess is that trans fat and smoking have a lot to do with it.  Behavior is the biggest contributing factor to premature death these days, from what I understand.

[Carolina03]

Behavior, yes but also other factors, including OTC use of NSAIDs and diet drugs, energy drinks (?) and poor management of chronic stress.

Speaking of NSAIDs, anyone notice an increase in symptoms while taking them? If I take Advil before bed, I wake up covered in sweat with a fast heart rate. I've absolutely correlated it with the medication, which makes me wonder. I have small vessel disease and am pretty young (39).

Best,
C

[cristabelle]

yes, I have noticed a similar phenomenom when I take a couple motrin before bed.  Same thing.  I wake up very warm and it seems like my heart is pounding.  I am in the same age bracket as yourself.  
Are you usually able to get back to sleep?  I am.

Sincerely,
cristabelle

[woodruff]

I have pvcs, and, being over 50, have occasion to use nsaids for aches and pains.  It doesn't affect my hr in any way that I can discern.  Funny, but for me the stuff is actually soporific; I always sleep better and more soundly with advil on board if I need to take it before bed.

[suzzie1]

Hi,  My 15 year old son has been complaining of chest pain and fast heartbeat for a few weeks. He wore a holter monitor a few days ago but I havent had results yet. Hes just come down stairs and said he has it again...i am freaked out with worry. He describes it as a sharp pain with each heartbeat. He also said he woke up during the night, last night with darting pains down his arms. Does this sound sinister. Its past midnight here (in Ireland) and Im scared to go to bed in case something happens him, but I dont want to let him know this as it will make him worry. Help!!!!!

[CollegeGirl143]

try and ease your mind a bit.. Pain from things such as a heart attack, which are urgent.. are described more as pressure or squeezing, not as sharp.. Your son is probably feeling anxiety which could be worsening his symtpoms. If you are very concerned though by all means take him to an urgent care or ER, that is what doctors are there for and can offer some peace of mind.

[cmiller]

Have your son checked out by a doc and if there are no heart abnormailities....    What has your son been eating?

The following will cause palps.

1. junk food, High carbs  - too much sodium, not enough potassium
2. monosodium glutamate - food additive
3. sodas-  acid content will cause too high Ca in blood/change cellular level acid base balance.
4. not drinking enough water or too much water throws off electrolyte balance
5. caffine or other stimulants.
6. too much calcium/dairy may strip magnesium.


The following may reduce palps

High magnesium and K rich foods.  eat plenty fresh fruits and veggies... kill the processed stuff.

Mg and K supplmentation- work with your doctor. Use Mg citrate, Mg glycinate, or mg orotate.  It can take several days to weeks for these to kick in.

taurine, CoQ10 may be of benefit.  lemon balm or rasberry tea may calm heart.

Stress strips Magnesium from the body.

search for cmiller on this site and you will get more details on options.

Good luck.

Cmiller

[suzzie1]

Well we got through the night...up til after 3am.Had decided if he doesnt get to sleep in the next 20 min im bringing him into the hospital..(i can see the hsptl from where we live).I phoned my gp this morning and she said his holter monitor showed several episodes of heartrate over 140 but not ''much'' else, whatever that means!!!!  She also said if he gets the pain again to go straight into er.

He hadnt eaten any trash yesterday because he had a day off school and was with me all day so I saw everything he ate and drank (no cola, choc, crisps, sweets etc) I understand ''heart pain'' because I have heart problems myself, thats why this ''sharp pain with every beat'' has me baffled. Also his heart is beating very fast when he has the pain!!! I had given him magneseum about 3 days ago having read your post c.miller :) He is almost 6ft tall and quite slim so Im hoping its just his body out of balance with all the hormones and growing thats going on,(hes 15yrs old) though to be honest I fear the worst because Iv read on a 'heart' site that mothers pass on heart problems more often than fathers. Also it seems there are certain heart problems that show itself around 15 years old. I was actually about 13 when mine started.(iv never spoken to my kids about my ''stuff'', didnt want them worrying )

Another thing is that he was attacked and beaten up one afternoon about 2 months ago,(punched in the back of his head,knocked to the ground and kicked) when he took a short cut home through a lane at 2pm in afternoon. He was checked at the hsptl as he had been knocked out but im just wondering could they have missed something.
Sorry for bombarding you with this but I dont have anyone to discuss all this with. Thank you both for replyng..it means a lot.

[cmiller]

Suzzie,

    I think the two are related- what happened to him and this.   If you want, email me off line at 2220-***@****  I will share more details.

cmiller

[CollegeGirl143]

a heart rate over 140 isnt nessecarily bad or uncommon. If it was a normal sinus tachycardia, talk to the doc about beta blockers. He will probably be reluctant thought since he is so young. certain types of svt commonly present in teenagers ( i got my first episode at 19) but if this wasnt shown on the holter i wouldnt worry too much. It sounds like your son is very anxious, but by all means eliminate all other possible cardiac related causes first.

[anacyde]

Use of diet drugs, energy drinks and poor stress management all fall under behavior.  Choices people make (as opposed to genetic factors and/or disease itself).

In the media, it may just be a coverage issue rather than an actual increase in incidence of SCD.

Suzzie - If it were me, I'd have him see a cardiologist.  Be sure your GP sends the Holter results too.  If the Holter was running when he was symptomatic and it didn't record anything, I wouldn't worry too much.  Having a cardiologist check him out would probably offer some peace of mind.  

A heart rate of 140 isn't bad.  My Holter showed my rate between the 50s and 180s (I exercise quite vigorously) and was normal.  The "not much else" comment probably meant he had some benign blips, like PACs or PVCs, since the majority of the population with healthy hearts do.

[suzzie1]

Thank you so much for your input. I agree with what you both said. My gp is referring ''Thomas'' to a cardio. I think if he gets the 'all clear' from an echo I will feel relieved because I have moderate mitral valve regurgation which showed up on echo. I just hope and pray that he doesnt have a life time of this ''heart hell'' that I (and lots of you guys) have had. Thanks again. 8)

[LukeL]

The media loves to jump onto a hot button issue and beat it to death. Most young people who die from SCD suffered from a genetic heart defect which could have been picked up on a cheap and quick EKG. I was concerned about my heart health after a series of bad palpitatons, I had 4 EKGs, 3 cardiologist, and an ECHO all in one year, so now I am I am safe from genetic heart defects.

[NBCT]

I just wanted to add to my post at the top that my awareness of an increase in heart related deaths in my area alone was not a result of media attention, but rather my local paper obituary section on a daily basis. The page will contain 10-20 obits and sometimes more than half of the persons listed are under 50, stating cause of death as sudden, from a heart attack.
I know the media will grab a tragic sudden death of an athlete and keep it in the spotlight for days, but there are thousands of school athletes participating everyday in sporting events and that sudden death is a rare event.
My concern comes from hearing some personal stories from people I know and learning that their family member, friend, co-worker, etc. had just completed a physical and were given a clean bill of health....one 43 year old female, had been to the doctor the day before her death for a physical and was happy to hear she was "fine and see you in year" as her husband quoted the MD.
My point is most routine tests and bloodwork are not diagnostic enough for heart disease and maybe the standard physical should include more specific tests, even if someone is not in a high risk group.

[CollegeGirl143]

unfortunatly in that case we would be testing every patient, all the time, for anything and everything. labs and dr's offices would become backed up beyond belief. A standard physical is not supposed to weed out every single defect disease or sickness one could have unfortunatly. It is just a basic overall check of health. Certain things may pop out, or may not. This is why people need to be aware of their bodies and report any symptoms they are having to a physician. Maybe one day medicine will come far enough to where we wont need to wait until we're very symptomatic to know we're sick at all..

[Mels22]

STRANGE THAT YOU MENTION YOUNG PEOPLE AS I AM ONLY 25.  
COULD I HAVE ANGINA OR A PENDING HEART ATTACK? I HAVE BEEN HAVING MOSTLY LEFT SIDED CHEST PAINS FOR ABOUT A MONTH NOW. I AM VERY CONCERNED NOW THEY ARE MOVING TO THE RIGHT SIDE AND THE MIDDLE OF THE STERNUM. I ALSO SOMETIMES FEEL PAINS IN MY LEFT SHOULDER, ARM, AND FINGERS. I WENT TO THE ER 3 WEEKS AGO WITH CHEST PAINS AND AN IMPENDING SENSE OF DOOM. THEY DID BLOOD WORK, EKG MONITORING, CHEST X RAY, CT SCAN AND ALL CAME BACK NORMAL. MY CHOLESTEROL WAS 135 AND MY BP WAS GOOD. I HAVE NO HISTORY OF FAMILY HEART DISEASE. I HAVE HAD ANXIETY IN THE PAST BUT THIS FEELS DIFFERENT. I'M SCARED EVERYDAY OF DYING AND I JUST FEEL A DOOM CLOUD OVER MY HEAD. I READ AN ARTICLE WHERE WOMEN HAVE DIFFERENT SYMPTOMS THAN MEN INCLUDING THIS SENSE OF DOOM, INDIGESTION, ETC. I HAVE ALL THESE AND IT SAYS YOU CAN HAVE THEM FOR A MONTH BEFORE THE HEART ATTACK. I JUST KEEP WAITING FOR IT. MY DOCTOR DID AN EKG WHICH CAME BACK WITH INVERTED T WAVES SO HE ORDERED MYOVIEW NUCLEAR STRESS TEST WHICH CAME BACK NORMAL. HE ALONG WITH THE CARDIOLOGIST ENSURES ME MY HEART IS FINE. I'VE HEARD STRESS TESTS AREN'T VERY ACCURATE AND I'M JUST WONDERING, COULD I BE HAVING ANGINA LEADING TO A HEART ATTACK? I'VE BEEN TOLD EVERYTHING FROM GERD TO POSTPARDUM TO ANXIETY (I HAD A BABY 5 MONTHS AGO). I'M ON PROZAC, TRANXENE, AND PRILOSEC WHICH DON'T SEEM TO BE HELPING THE INDIGESTION OR WORRY. WHAT SHOULD I DO? SHOULD I PRESS FOR MORE TESTS? I'M SO SCARED I'LL DIE AND NOT BE ABLE TO TAKE CARE OF MY BABY. PLEASE HELP!!!!
THANK YOU FOR YOU HELP IN ADVANCE!!!