London – Brussels: Europe and the Arabs

A study led by a team from the University of Leicester and published in the European Heart Journal has revealed a significant deficiency in the way doctors assess the future health risks of patients under 55 after a heart attack.

After analyzing nearly one million heart attack cases in England and Wales, the study found that young adults with severe frailty face a much higher risk of premature death, yet they often receive fewer checkups and less specialized support services compared to older patients. According to the Brussels-based European news network Euronews, the study also challenged the common belief that patients under 45 do not experience frailty, which manifests as slowed walking, physical weakness, and typical signs of aging.

The researchers concluded that this frailty in young adults is caused by a combination of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, kidney disease, and premature heart failure, which accumulate at an unexpectedly early age. The paper states that "because this organic weakness is not differentiated, these patients often miss out on the intensive treatment and follow-up care they urgently need."

According to Dr. Hassan Mohiuddin and Dr. Mohamed Rashid from the Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, who led the study, the key findings were:

Asthenia: Approximately one in ten patients who suffered a heart attack before the age of 55 were classified as having moderate or severe asthenia.

The nature of asthenia in young people: Unlike age-related asthenia in older adults, young patients exhibit a unique pattern dominated by cardiac and metabolic problems rather than mobility or memory issues.

Greater impact: Compared to older adults, young patients with severe asthenia were nearly four times more likely to die than their healthy peers of the same age.

Premature death: Young people with severe asthenia died, on average, six years earlier than expected after a heart attack.

Dr. Mohiuddin, the study's first author, said, "We are actually seeing more young patients with multiple health conditions that don't fit the traditional picture of frailty, yet they are experiencing poor health outcomes."

Dr. Mohammed Rashid, a cardiac catheterization specialist, added, "I believe frailty assessment should be routinely used in all heart attack patients, not just the elderly."

The study is expected to form the basis of a new multi-year research program in Leicester, led by Dr. Rashid, which aims to redefine how clinicians assess risk, develop new personalized treatments, and establish updated guidelines for assessing patients' health status.