Every hour, five people in South Africa have a heart attack and 10 people have a stroke, and 10 people will die from these events. This makes cardiovascular disease (CVD) our biggest killer after HIV/ Aids - ahead of all cancers combined. Disconcertingly, while it was once associated with the elderly, more than half of those dying are younger than 65, and deaths in the 35-65 age group are set to rise by 41% by 2030, says Prof Pamela Naidoo, CEO of the Heart and Stroke Foundation South Africa (HSFSA). 'The co-existence of risk factors and Covid-19 infection has worsened the fatality rate of heart disease and strokes, increasing the disease burden.'
Researchers were shocked by their findings when a recent study revealed that, while the heart attack rate has decreased among older adults, it's risen among those aged between 35 and 54 – especially among young women. The authors of 'The ARIC (Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities) Study', published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology in June 2021, concluded that the reasons for the rise in heart attack hospitalisations among young women are 'likely multifactorial but may be related to modifiable risk factors'. Along with authorities such as Johns Hopkins Medicine, they have suggested a few likely culprits.
What emerges is that there are many heart disease risk factors operating in unique ways in women.
As Bonnie Tyler sings, We're living in a powder keg and giving off sparks.
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