Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) is Affecting Younger Populations
Are You at Risk?
CAD diagnoses are on the rise, and an alarming number of those patients are younger than 401. A combination of a sedentary lifestyle, diets that contain more processed foods and an overall increase in obesity is to blame. CAD among younger adults is often caused by a combination of genetic predisposition and lifestyle factors. Some risk factors are high blood pressure, high cholesterol, smoking, diabetes, obesity, family history of heart disease, sedentary lifestyle and unhealthy diet.1
CAD Symptoms: What To Look For
It’s easy to think that, because of your younger age, you couldn’t become a victim of heart failure or CAD. Unfortunately, given the increase in sedentary living, prevalence of processed foods and increased obesity, younger populations are no longer immune to heart failure and CAD. Everyone, regardless of age, should be on the lookout for:
- Chest pain (angina) – Have you experienced a heaviness, tightness, pressure, aching, burning, numbness, fullness, squeezing or a dull ache during or after physical exertion? The pain may radiate to the shoulder, arm, neck, back or jaw.2
- Shortness of breath – Do you have trouble catching your breath when doing regular activities or laying down?2
- Fatigue – Do you constantly feel tired or weak?2
- Pain, numbness, or weakness in arms or legs – Are you having unusual feelings in your limbs?3
- Nausea or indigestion – Do you feel sick to your stomach or feel like you have heartburn?3
- Swelling (edema) – This is swelling in the legs, ankles, feet, stomach and neck.4
- Coughing – A persistent, unexplained cough could be a sign that fluid is building up in your lungs.5
- Reduced or low ejection fraction (EF) – EF is the measurement of blood your heart pumps with each beat. An EF below 50% is considered Low EF; normal EF is 50-70%.6
A Range of Treatment Options
Footnotes
- National Center for Biotechnology Information. Coronary artery disease: Risk factors and prevention strategies. PubMed Central (PMC). https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5686931/#:~:text=There%20are%20many,history%3B%20and%20race.
- Mayo Clinic. Coronary artery disease: Symptoms and causes. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/coronary-artery-disease/symptoms-causes/syc-20350613#:~:text=Chest%20pain%2C%20called,feel%20unusually%20tired
- Mount Sinai Health System. What is coronary artery disease? https://www.mountsinai.org/care/heart/services/coronary-disease/what-is#:~:text=Signs%20and%20Symptoms,Indigestion%2C%20nausea%2C%20vomiting
- University of Michigan Health. Coronary artery disease (CAD). https://medicine.umich.edu/dept/cardiac-surgery/patient-information/adult-cardiac-surgery/adult-conditions-treatments/coronary-artery-disease-cad#:~:text=Heart%20failure%20also%20can%20cause%20swelling%20in%20your%20feet%2C%20ankles%2C%20legs%20and%20abdomen
- Cleveland Clinic. Persistent cough: It may be a sign of heart failure. https://health.clevelandclinic.org/persistent-cough-it-may-be-a-sign-of-heart-failure
- American Heart Association. Ejection fraction: Heart failure measurement. https://www.heart.org/en/health-topics/heart-failure/diagnosing-heart-failure/ejection-fraction-heart-failure-measurement
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (n.d.). Coronary artery disease (CAD): Symptoms and causes. CDC. https://www.cdc.gov/heart-disease/about/coronary-artery-disease.html#cdc_disease_basics_treatment-treatment-and-recovery
- Wollmuth, J., et al. (2022). Cardiac interventions for heart disease. Journal of the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions, 1(5), 100350–100350. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jscai.2022.100350
- O’Neill, E., et al. (2022). Cardiovascular health and interventions. American Heart Journal, 248, 139–149. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ahj.2022.02.006
As with any medical treatment, individual results may vary. Only a physician can determine whether Impella is an option for High-Risk PCI and would be an appropriate course of treatment. There are potential risks including acute renal dysfunction, aortic valve injury, bleeding, cardiogenic shock, cerebral vascular accident/stroke, death, hemolysis, limb ischemia, myocardial infarction, renal failure, thrombocytopenia and cardiac or vascular injury (including ventricular perforation). These risks need to be discussed with your doctor and recovery takes time. The success of this procedure depends on many factors, including your physical condition and your body’s ability to tolerate the procedure. Use care in the selection of your doctors and hospital, based on their skill and experience.
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