Heart attack increasing in young women

Women under 55 years are increasingly affected by a serious heart attack

04/10/2015

A severe heart attack (STEMI) is affecting significantly more women under the age of 55 than 15 years ago. This reports Dr. Jens-Uwe Röhnisch on the occasion of the 81st Annual Conference of the German Society of Cardiology, which takes place until 11 April in Mannheim. The main reason for the rising numbers sees the physician in smoking, also obesity is a major risk factor at a younger age.

17% of women with severe heart attacks today are younger than 55 years
Today, significantly more younger women are affected by a severe heart attack (STEMI) than they were 15 years ago. According to the German Society of Cardiology, this shows a recent evaluation of the Berlin Cardiac Index, in which prospective data on inpatient therapy for patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) has been collected since 1999.

Thus, at the turn of the millennium, only ten percent of women with STEMI (ST elevation myocardial infarction) were younger than 55, whereas today's proportion is 17 percent. „The percentage distribution of age groups has shifted since 1999 over time, especially among women towards younger age groups“, so the Dr. Jens-Uwe Röhnisch, Senior Consultant at the Vivantes Hospital Berlin-Hellersdorf, at the 81st Annual Meeting of the German Cardiac Society. At this meeting, 8,500 active participants from 25 countries meet in Mannheim until April 11th.

Smoking and obesity are major causes of STEMI
A central cause is according to Dr. Röhnisch smoking. Because in 1999, 47 percent of STEMI patients in the 55-64 age group regularly took the cigarette, today it is 62 percent. „Obesity has also increased, especially among younger women“, so Dr. Röhnisch continues. However, there has been success in the treatment of ST elevation infarction over the past 15 years. The increased use of the cardiac catheter and the evidence-based drug therapy would have a „impressive reduction in hospital mortality“ can be achieved. Now it is important, „to focus on primary prevention, especially among younger women“, advises Dr. Röhnisch.

Lecture on depression in cardiac patients in the hospital
In addition to the topic „Heart attack in younger women“ Among other things, the cardiologist congress reported on depressive disorders in inpatient cardiovascular patients. As private lecturer Nina Rieckmann of the Berlin School of Public Health at the Charité informs, cardiac patients in the hospital would suffer from depression much more frequently than the general population. In addition, those affected would not be adequately treated.

„CDCare study“ shows clear differences to the general population
This result, according to Rieckmann the so-called „CDCare study“ between June 2012 and August 2014 with a total of 1266 coronary heart disease (CHD) patients without cognitive impairment. Thus, in 22.1 percent of women and 15.5 percent of men was within the previous twelve weeks („12-week prevalence“), while the proportion in the general population was 10.6 (women) and 4.8 percent (men), according to Nina Rieckmann in a statement by the DKG.

In the previous four weeks („4-week prevalence“), 17.6 percent of women and 10.7 percent of men hospitalized for cardiovascular disease were affected. 5.1 percent of all respondents said they were also receiving treatment at the time of the interview. As Rieckmann further reports, international studies have shown that this is a common concomitant disease in CHD patients, which would lead to a poorer medical prognosis, higher healthcare costs, and limited patient compliance.

„Some cardiological societies discuss the introduction of a systematic depression screening in cardiac patients, "Rieckmann reported in the DGK communication „reliable data on the prevalence of depressive disorders and the supply status of depressive cardiovascular patients in real clinical settings“ a prerequisite, Rieckmann continues.

Computer-based training can help heart failure patients
Besides that, at the congress was called the so-called „CogTrain-HF study“ reported. According to Dipl. Psych. Sonja Wedegärtner, this had shown that computer-based training in patients with stable heart failure could improve cognitive abilities. This could be effective in helping sufferers, as heart failure often leads to intellectual or cognitive impairment, which adversely affects the course of the disease and severely limits the quality of life. „Patients with heart failure could therefore also benefit from cognitive training programs like healthy people“, Sun Sonja Wedegärtner in a DGK release. (No)