COVID-19 Surges Linked To Spike in Heart Attack Deaths, New study shows heart attack increase has been most prominent in young adults especially those ages 25-44.
Researchers at the Smidt Heart Institute at Cedars-Sinai conducted a new data analysis and found that deaths from heart attacks rose significantly during pandemic surges, including the COVID-19 Omicron surges, overall reversing a heart-healthier pre-pandemic trend. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, heart attacks were the leading cause of death worldwide but were steadily on the decline.COVID-19 Surges , However, the new study reveals that heart attack death rates took a sharp turn and increased for all age groups during the pandemic. The study was recently published in the peer-reviewed Journal of Medical Virology. Spikes in heart attack deaths have closely tracked with surges of SARS-CoV-2 infections. This was true even during the presumed less-severe Omicron phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. Moreover, the data showed the increase was most significant among people ages 25-44. Individuals in this age range are not usually considered at high risk for heart attacks.
“The dramatic rise in heart attacks during the pandemic has reversed what was a prior decadelong steady improvement in cardiac deaths,” said Yee Hui Yeo, MD, first author of the study and a Cedars-Sinai physician-scientist.COVID-19 Surges , “We are still learning the many ways by which COVID-19 affects the body, regardless of age, gender, ethnicity or race.” Using data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Vital Statistics System, the Cedars-Sinai researchers identified 1,522,699 deaths from heart attacks medically called acute myocardial infarctions—between April 1, 2012, and March 31, 2022. Investigators then compared age-related mortality rates between pre-pandemic and pandemic periods, as well as demographic groups and regions.
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