Cardiologist warns: younger patients with severe heart attacks – check your heart from adolescence
Professor Guntis Bahs reports that heart diseases are affecting ever younger people, with his youngest patient being only 18 years old. He urges parents to have their children's hearts examined before engaging in serious sports training.
Professor Guntis Bahs, a cardiologist at the Skride Heart Clinic, revealed a concerning trend during the TV24 program “Ārsts atbild” (Doctor Answers) – heart diseases are becoming increasingly “younger”. As an example, he mentioned his youngest patient: an 18-year-old youth whom he had to save from an acute, severe myocardial infarction.
The professor emphasizes that many parents want their children to play sports and train, but before turning a child into a semi-professional or professional athlete, a thorough health check is necessary. Bahs points out the main risk factors: excess weight, sedentary lifestyle, smoking, and genetics. “Heart diseases are just waiting to develop, and the age of patients is getting smaller and smaller. This is an alarm signal – come and check your heart, even young people!” the doctor urges.
It is especially important to have heart examinations before serious athletic activities, such as running the Riga half marathon. “It is a challenge and a risk – first go to a doctor, and then we can exercise safely,” warns Bahs. The next significant check-up stage is after the age of 30. However, the cardiologist notes that it is not necessary to undergo all possible tests – a rational, informative, and mutually complementary set of examinations, as determined by a doctor, is sufficient.
