FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) – Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the U-S, according to the CDC, and someone has a heart attack every 40 seconds. Cardiologist are noticing an increase in heart attacks among younger people, in their 30s and 40s. Dr. Roy Robertson, president of the Parkview Heart Institute says there are many reasons as to why they are seeing younger people experiencing heart attacks. He says many are unaware of the physiology, meaning, they are not informed of how their body functions. Dr. Robertson says typically middle age people are still in an active state. But recently, cardiologist are noticing middle age people are becoming less active.
Covid-19 has had a major affect on younger people, where their bodies are overwhelmed and aren’t prepared to fight off an infectious disease like Covid-19. Dr. Robertson says another factor of heart attacks in young people is the use of foreign substances.
As a society, we’ve come a bit more tolerant of that, I would say,” said Dr. Robertson. “In addition, the number of substances that people consume is just increasing dramatically on a daily basis.”
Dr. Robertson shared the early heart disease signs and tips to stay on top of your heart health.
The most common signals are tiredness, shortness of breathe, fatigue, chest pains, and flutters in your chest. He says that those can seem like small signs, but can often be dismissed. However, Dr. Robertson says the more active you are, the more engaged you are.
“If you’re an exerciser, and all of a sudden your exercise capacity starts to go down and can’t do as much on the treadmill, those are huge signs,” Dr. Robertson said.
Here are a few tips from Dr. Robertson to help with your cardiac health:
1. Visit your doctor frequently, especially middle age people
2. Ask frequent questions about what your test results show
3. Know your family history
4. Be aware of how much stress you experience
5. Keep a healthy diet and getting regular physical activity
Dr. Robertson gave some insight on how to know your limits when shoveling snow, in the brisk temperatures.
Poster Comment:
PANTLOAD O' THE DAY AWARD WINNER.