Increasing Number of Americans Under 55 Dying of Severe Heart Attacks, Study Finds

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, it says.

A doctor and emergency room nurse care for a patient at Mission Community Hospital in Panorama City, Calif., on Jan. 28, 2009. David McNew/Getty Images

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.