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Don’t
Die Young
Study
Shows Alarming Rise in Young People Dying of Cardiac
Arrest
Sudden
cardiac death is a result of the heart abruptly
shutting down. Often it's the final stage of a
heart attack.
While
most victims are in their 60s and 70s, the latest
study by Centers for Disease Control reported
today that the rate of young people dying from
cardiac arrest has soared in the last 10 years.
The
CDC says there are 3,000 of these deaths annually
among Americans age 15 to 34, a 10 percent increase
during the past decade.
"We're
talking about young adults," says Dr. George Mensah
of the Centers for Disease Control, "who have
no symptoms and who die suddenly, sometimes within
an hour of having their first onset of symptoms."
Danielle
Brender appeared perfectly healthy until she suffered
a sudden cardiac death last April. She was 11
years old. "She was a picture of health," says
her mother, Sharon Brender, "so we couldn't understand
how this could possibly happen."
An
autopsy revealed Danielle had a genetic condition
that triggered an irregular heartbeat. Her sisters
now take medication to protect themselves from
a similar death.
Reducing
Your Risk
The
CDC study says that for many young people, sudden
cardiac death is preventable, especially through
screenings for families with a history of this
kind of death. The study suggests that for others,
basic improvements in eating and exercise habits
might reduce the risk.
Many
of the deaths involved clogged arteries. A study
last year of 249 teenagers found that 80 percent
had an unhealthy buildup of cholesterol on artery
walls, often the result of eating high-fat foods.
Obesity
is another major risk factor. Between 1989 to
1999, the obesity rate among Americans aged 18
to 29 more than doubled from 5 percent to 12 percent.
For
an increasing number of younger Americans, the
warning is clear: "It's not that you can wait
and do the right thing and develop lifestyles
when you're 40 or 50 and have them kick in and
protect you," says Robertson. As today's study
shows, some people never get that chance.
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