Northwestern Medicine<\/a> in January, about one in five heart attacks occurs in people younger than 40. This represents a significant shift from decades ago, when heart attacks were rare in younger populations.<\/p>\nWhile heart disease is not the leading cause of death among younger adults, doctors and public health officials in Illinois say the trend is concerning yet largely preventable.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe prevalence of heart disease in the under-40 population has essentially doubled in the last 10 years,\u201d said Dr. Merrick Donenberg, cardiologist with OSF HealthCare. \u201cThe causes of early heart disease are present as early as the teenage years and 20s, but they\u2019re largely preventable.\u201d<\/p>\n
At the state level, the data paints a more nuanced picture. Dr. Arti Barnes, chief medical advisor for the Illinois Department of Public Health, said the leading cause of death among adults ages 25 to 44 remains unintentional injuries, including overdoses and motor vehicle crashes. However, she acknowledged that heart disease has been a concern for years.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have started noticing this trend for a [few] years now,\u201d Barnes said. \u201cIt\u2019s going up \u2013 but it\u2019s still unclear what\u2019s driving it at a population level, but we do know that contributors like diabetes and obesity have not improved and likely play a role.\u201d<\/p>\n
Donenberg, who works directly with younger patients, firmly believes obesity is correlated with the heart problems young people are experiencing.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s no secret that obesity is still on the rise in this country, and especially among young people,\u201d Donenberg said. \u201cI think what we\u2019re seeing with heart disease is one of the many real health impacts that come with carrying that extra weight. It is ultimately the driver of high blood pressure and impaired glucose handling, which later manifests as diabetes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThose conditions then go on to drive much of the heart disease that we\u2019re seeing more and more of. So, when you\u2019re talking about young patients developing heart problems, in many cases it starts with weight and the metabolic changes that come with it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Barnes echoed the same sentiment, noting how obesity rates have contributed to heart problems and rising rates of other chronic conditions.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are seeing more younger people being diagnosed with diabetes and obesity,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s not the same for every case, but we can safely say that those are the key drivers of heart disease.\u201d<\/p>\n
Smoking remains another major risk factor, particularly in younger patients experiencing heart attacks.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I see heart attacks in people under 40, the vast majority are ongoing tobacco users,\u201d Donenberg said.<\/p>\n
Although cigarette smoking has declined overall, vaping has risen significantly among younger adults. Donenberg cautioned against the practice.<\/p>\n
\u201cVaping should never be introduced to someone who doesn\u2019t already use nicotine,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s still a harmful, addictive substance.\u201d<\/p>\n
Heart failure vs. heart attack<\/p>\n
While heart attacks often dominate public perception, Donenberg said a different condition is driving much of the increase in younger patients.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe biggest rise in young people isn\u2019t heart attacks- it\u2019s congestive heart failure,\u201d Donenberg said. \u201cThat goes back to the extra strain on the heart from conditions like obesity.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"FILE](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/WQF3QB7TKVAYBPNIPR5H5S2ASA.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
Obesity Rates FILE – A subject’s waist is measured during an obesity prevention study in Chicago on Jan. 20, 2010. (AP Photo\/M. Spencer Green, File) (M. Spencer Green\/AP)<\/p>\n
Heart failure and heart attacks are different conditions with common causes. Heart attacks happen suddenly when an artery becomes blocked, cutting off blood flow to the heart muscle. Heart failure develops gradually as the heart muscle weakens and struggles to pump blood effectively to nourish the body\u2019s cells. While heart failure is a chronic condition that worsens over time, medications can help patients live longer and better with it.<\/p>\n
Donenberg mentioned that symptoms can sometimes be overlooked in younger patients, both by individuals and sometimes by providers.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf chest discomfort gets worse with physical activity and goes away with rest, that\u2019s a red flag \u2013 even in younger patients,\u201d he said. \u201cI think sometimes older physicians might overlook certain symptoms because when they were in medical school decades ago, it wasn\u2019t very normal for someone so young to have heart problems.\u201d<\/p>\n
Donenberg said symptoms aren\u2019t always limited to classic chest pain and can sometimes appear in the jaw. Regardless, any pain in either area should be a concern if it worsens with physical activity and goes away with rest.<\/p>\n
Prevention strategies<\/p>\n
Donenberg recommends focusing on whole, unprocessed foods and maintaining regular physical activity.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf your food still looks like how it started in nature, you\u2019re generally in a good spot,\u201d he said. \u201cCarbs aren\u2019t the problem \u2013 processed carbs are.\u201d<\/p>\n
He also advises caution with heavily marketed products like energy drinks.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe occasionally see very young people hospitalized after drinking multiple energy drinks in a short time,\u201d Donenberg said. \u201cI\u2019ll always advise people to stick to coffee, water, or tea. We know those are well studied and safe, and people have been drinking them for centuries.\u201d<\/p>\n
At the public health level, Barnes said the state continues to invest in programs to prevent chronic disease, though funding can be inconsistent.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe do have outreach programs focused on heart disease, diabetes,, and cholesterol management,\u201d she said. \u201cBut sustained progress depends on consistent resources and community engagement.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ultimately, both experts stressed that early awareness and early action can make a real difference.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe foundations of heart health start young,\u201d Donenberg said. \u201cAnd the earlier we address them, the better the outcomes will be.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSometimes, I see patients whose hearts are in bad condition and I think to myself, \u2018If only I saw you 10 or 20 years earlier, we could have intervened, addressed the risk factors and prevented this from happening.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"More young adults are developing serious heart conditions \u2013 including heart failure \u2013 not just heart attacks, according…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":471343,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[275],"tags":[18,135,475,206772,474,19,17,206771,206773,55250,50819,32211],"class_list":{"0":"post-471342","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-healthcare","8":"tag-eire","9":"tag-health","10":"tag-health-care","11":"tag-health-care-team","12":"tag-healthcare","13":"tag-ie","14":"tag-ireland","15":"tag-mywebtimes","16":"tag-northwestern-medicine","17":"tag-osf-healthcare","18":"tag-ottawa","19":"tag-peru"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@ie\/116527997638171244","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/471342","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=471342"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/471342\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/471343"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=471342"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=471342"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=471342"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}