A new research paper from the American Heart Association (AHA) released Thursday found that more Americans under the age of 55 suffered a severe first heart attack over the past decade or so.
The number of adults aged 18 to 54 who died of a severe heart attack in the hospital rose by 57 percent between 2011 and 2022, said the AHA in its journal. It analyzed nearly 1 million U.S. hospitalizations in that time period.
According to the analysis, most of the deaths were among men, but women died at higher rates. It also noted that younger women were more likely to have “nontraditional risk factors” when compared with men of the same age
The AHA paper analyzed data sourced from the National Inpatient Sample that includes health insurance claims, including Medicaid and Medicare, as well as from private insurance, it said.
Around 3.1 percent of younger women hospitalized for a first heart attack died, according to the study, which found that 2.6 percent of men who were hospitalized for a first time died.
Among all people hospitalized with severe heart attacks, 77 percent were men with tobacco usage being the most prevalent “traditional risk factor” while being “low income was the most prevalent nontraditional risk factor,” the AHA said.
“In‐hospital mortality for both acute myocardial infarction subtypes was higher in young women compared with young men and was associated with more nontraditional than traditional risk factors,” the AHA said, using a medical term to refer to severe heart attacks.
The Cleveland Clinic, on its website, defines a severe heart attack as one that occurs when the coronary artery is completely blocked. Symptoms can include chest pressure; squeezing; pain spreading to the arms, neck, or jaw; nausea; shortness of breath; and cold sweats.
“U.S. heart attack deaths appeared to have plateaued or decreased, based on observational studies that extended into 2010. However, that decline appears to have been driven largely by older adults and men,” said the lead author of the study, Mohan Satish, in a statement on AHA’s website. “We often think heart attacks are mainly an older person’s problem; however, our findings indicate that younger adults, especially women, are at real risk.”
The study shows more evidence of worsening health among younger Americans as recent research has shown a rise in certain types of cancer in younger people.
For example, a paper published in 2025 by the National Cancer Institute found that 14 types of cancer are increasing in at least one younger age group, defined as people between the ages of 15 and 49.
Meanwhile, Thursday’s publication of the study also comes as the AHA recently released a statement predicting that around six in 10 adult women in the United States will develop some form of cardiovascular disease by 2050. That’s up from around five in 10 in 2020, it said.
“Improving heart attack outcomes in adults younger than age 55, particularly women, will require earlier risk identification and consideration of nontraditional risk factors to improve treatment,” Satish said in a statement about the research. “Future studies need to consider how nontraditional risk factors impart heart attack risk along with their impact on traditional risk factors.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.