A cardiologist at Taichung Tzu Chi Hospital said that young people should pay attention to risk factors of heart attacks after three people aged 24 to 35 were admitted to the hospital within a month following heart attacks.
Heart attacks are especially common in the winter, but young people who report chest pain typically do not consider they might have had a heart attack, cardiologist Chen Mei-ling said on Monday.
In November last year, three men surnamed Tang, 24, Lin, 28, and Hsieh, 35, were admitted to the hospital after reporting chest pain and were diagnosed as having had heart attacks, Chen said.
Tang, who has poorly controlled diabetes, had a blockage in his left coronary artery, she said, adding that he underwent an immediate cardiac catheterization.
Lin’s right coronary artery was 100 percent blocked, even though he showed no symptoms other than chest pain and cold sweats, and did not have a history of high blood sugar, high cholesterol or high blood pressure, she said.
Hsieh, who reported having chest pain and shortness of breath for days before being admitted, had a 100 percent blockage in two of his three major coronary arteries, she said.
He smokes and frequently attends after-work functions, and was unaware that he had high blood sugar, high cholesterol and high blood pressure, Chen said.
He experienced chest pain during the Lunar New Year holiday in 2017, but ignored it and would not have sought medical help when it recurred last year were it not for his wife, Chen said.
If treatment had been further delayed, he might have died suddenly or developed heart failure, she said.
All three had trouble with their weight, she said, adding that Tang and Lin both weighed more than 90kg.
High cholesterol is the primary risk factor for heart attacks, she said.
When levels of low-density lipoprotein are too high, they accumulate on the inner walls of blood vessels, leading to inflammation, atherosclerosis and, eventually, blockage, she said.
To help prevent heart attacks, people can maintain healthy living and eating habits, reduce work-related stress, improve their sleep quality and avoid PM2.5 — airborne particulate matter measuring less than 2.5 micrometers in diameter, Chen said.
