Coronary artery disease is often associated with older people. This is for good reason. As the liver becomes progressively less efficient at getting rid of cholesterol, and the heart muscles get weaker and weaker, it becomes increasingly more difficult to avoid ending up with atherosclerosis. However, coronary artery disease is not that uncommon in young adults either, so it’s worth examining why this occurs and how it can be avoided.
Why do young people get coronary artery disease?
In the past few years, deaths caused by coronary artery disease have decreased in number. However, coronary artery disease is still one of the leading causes of death in the US. The percentage of young adults who have coronary artery disease is lower compared to that of older people, but that doesn’t make this condition less life-threatening than it is in someone over the age of 60.
One of the leading causes of coronary artery disease in young adults is atherosclerosis, a condition created by fatty deposits that create plaques on the inner lining of the artery walls. What’s interesting is that young adults are sometimes more exposed to the risk factors that lead to atherosclerosis, such as smoking or obesity.
Young people, and especially males, need to pay really close attention to the risk factors of coronary artery disease and manage them if they want to avoid ending up with such a condition.
Young adults are also more likely to consume illegal drugs, such as cocaine, which has been linked with accelerated atherosclerosis and acute myocardial infarction. While this topic is yet to be explored to the fullest, it wouldn’t hurt for young people to be screened for coronary artery disease.
Coronary artery disease: The Number One Enemy
Eighty percent of the young adults who have a heart attack do so because they have coronary artery disease. Only four percent of young adults have an abnormality in their coronary artery, which is a condition that they are born with. Five percent of heart attacks in young adults are due to a blood clot that was formed in another artery and then transported through the bloodstream to a healthy coronary artery.
Other factors can also lead to a heart attack in young adults, such as inflammation of the coronary arteries, abuse of illicit drugs (such as cocaine or amphetamines), or radiation therapy for chest tumors.
Almost every one of these problems can be prevented, especially atherosclerosis, one of the leading causes of coronary artery disease.
What causes atherosclerosis?
While it is characterized by narrow and hard arteries, atherosclerosis is a problem that starts in the blood. When the bloodstream has too much of what is known as "bad cholesterol", this excess starts attaching to the inner lining of the artery walls.
These tiny crystal build-ups turn into large deposits, which eventually start forming plaques. Young adult smokers or those who have elevated blood pressure are more likely to end up with atherosclerosis, because these two things can damage the artery walls, making it easier for fatty deposits to attach to them.
If a person has plenty of good cholesterol in the bloodstream, these particles will aid in removing bad cholesterol, so these fatty streaks won’t pose a threat for the arteries. That’s why high cholesterol therapies focus on reducing cholesterol and triglyceride levels but also help improve good cholesterol.
In their incipient states, plaques are soft and small. Normally, white blood cells would eat up cholesterol, but when the arteries have plaques, they can trigger inflammation. Plaques grow and start blocking the path for blood that’s supposed to reach the heart.
When plaques reach maturity, they are more likely to cause chest pain rather than a heart attack. What does cause heart attacks are newer and smaller plaques, which are unstable and can rupture.
Problems at birth
According to a study conducted in 2007, it turns out that the risk of developing premature heart disease is related to a person's birth weight. Even one less pound in weight can increase the risk of having heart problems later in life byh about five to ten percent. The direct correlation between weight and the risk of heart disease is yet to be established. It could be related to the mother smoking during pregnancy, or not having a proper diet that provides enough nutrition for the baby to develop properly in the womb.
Can coronary artery disease in young adults be prevented?
It turns out that young people who follow a healthy lifestyle can really beat the odds of having coronary artery disease at an older age, even if age is one of the primary risk factors of such as a condition.
By keeping track and taking control over total cholesterol, good cholesterol, diabetes, hypertension, obesity, and smoking, people only have a five percent chance of ending up with coronary artery disease as they age. Someone who has two out of these six risk factors now has a 69 percent chance of having coronary artery disease.
Conclusion
Even as a young adult, you should be screened for the main problems that lead to coronary artery diseases, such as elevated blood pressure or high cholesterol. The good news is that early diagnosis means you can still live a fulfilling life, in which treatment is a lot easier.