The death rate from heart attacks rose surprisingly among young American adults in the 1990s, climbing 10 % in men and 32 % in women, according to a new comprehensive study.
Heart attack is still rare under age 35, accounting for only 1 % of all deaths from this cause. The newly recognized increase is troubling. Researchers believe a major reason for the increase is the epidemic of obesity, along with increased smoking and drug abuse, particularly cocaine, which can be a powerful trigger of cardiac arrest.
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Doctors from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta conducted the first-ever survey of cardiac arrest in people ages 15 to 34. They released the figures in San Antonio at an epidemiology conference of the American Heart Association.
Across the United States, the number of fatal cardiac arrests in this age group rose from 2,710 in 1989 to 3,000 in 1996. In all, 23,320 young adults died, almost three-quarters of them men.
Dying suddenly is not an old folks' problem anymore. During the eight years, the death rate from cardiac arrest increased three times faster in women than in men. It went up 19 % in blacks and 14 % in whites. Cardiac arrest occurs when the heart suddenly quits pumping, stopping blood circulation. Unless victims are quickly revived by defibrillators, they soon die or suffer irreversible brain damage.
According to federal figures, 17 % of U.S. high school students say they smoke cigarettes regularly, compared with 12 % a decade ago. The incidence of obesity for people in their twenties rose from 7 % in 1990 to 12% in 2000. Among people in their 30s, obesity has risen from 11 % to 19 %.
Too much weight causes several effects that might increase the risk of cardiac arrest, including higher cholesterol levels, high blood pressure and diabetes.
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