After a week hospitalized, 38-year-old N.M.B. from HCMC’s Binh Thanh Ward remains bewildered by his sudden health crisis. Starting with shortness of breath, he soon experienced an excruciating, knife-like pain piercing his heart. At Gia Dinh People’s Hospital, he was diagnosed with an acute myocardial infarction.
Emergency physicians swiftly recanalized his coronary artery within the golden hour, minimizing necrosis and severe complications. For Mr. B., this realization was a harsh wake-up call. “I ignored my hypertension medication because I felt normal, plus I drink and smoke,” he confided. “The illness silently accumulated for years before exploding.”
Meanwhile, 45-year-old N.N.N. from Long Phuoc Ward in HCMC collapsed completely out of the blue following a sudden bout of severe chest pain. At his local hospital, he received a grim diagnosis of an acute myocardial infarction before being urgently transferred to Thu Duc General Hospital in HCMC. The rigorous test results shockingly revealed that two out of the three primary blood vessels supplying his heart were entirely obstructed, triggering progressive heart failure.
According to Level-I Specialist Dang Minh Hung at Thu Duc General Hospital, a myocardial infarction is a dire cardiovascular emergency boasting an incredibly high rate of complications and mortality if medical professionals don’t aggressively intervene right within the “golden time.” Every single wasted minute directly translates to a massive cascade of myocardial cells undergoing irreversible necrosis.
Furthermore, clinical reality currently records an alarming influx of myocardial infarction patients squarely in their 40s, or even under the age of 30. This is a stark contrast to the past, when this severe pathology was conventionally observed almost exclusively among the elderly population.
Acknowledging this illness’s rejuvenation trend, Chau Do Truong Son, MD PhD, from Gia Dinh People’s Hospital noted the facility handles 350 emergency myocardial infarction cases annually, averaging seven critical incidents weekly.
Witnessing young patients presenting with catastrophic cardiogenic shock, cardiac arrest, and respiratory failure isn’t uncommon. These harrowing cases demand grueling treatment, racking up exorbitant costs and leaving behind debilitating sequelae that severely diminish work capacity. Alarmingly, numerous young individuals remain dangerously complacent regarding cardiovascular risk factors lurking in everyday life.
Doctor Son expressed profound anxiety over young people living under crushing pressure, paving the way for full-blown burnout. This toxic phenomenon, prevalent in nations adopting brutal “996” working models, where employees grind from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. and six grueling days a week, pushes younger workers to face massive disease risks, most notably severe cardiovascular pathologies.
According to Level-II Specialist Dao Quang Hoang, Deputy Head of the Internal Cardiology and Geriatrics Department at Thu Duc General Hospital in HCMC, the vast majority of risk factors triggering a myocardial infarction can be successfully prevented or meticulously controlled by adopting suitable lifestyle modifications:
- ditch smoking entirely, including e-cigarettes;
- maintain a highly nutritious diet packed with green vegetables and fruits;
- heavily cut back on fast food and greasy items;
- aggressively boost physical activity to at least 150 minutes per week;
- keep an iron grip on blood pressure, blood sugar, and lipid levels;
- prioritize getting enough sleep;
- decisively curb prolonged stress.
“Citizens should proactively undergo regular general health check-ups to systematically screen for underlying cardiovascular risk factors. For those already grappling with underlying conditions, they absolutely must adhere strictly to their prescribed treatment regimens to heavily minimize highly dangerous complications,” Doctor Dao Quang Hoang advised.
The medical professionals also strongly cautioned that individuals shouldn’t brush off glaring warning signs like chest pain, tightness, sudden shortness of breath, profuse sweating, extreme dizziness, or pain radiating directly up to the jaw, neck, and left shoulder. These could very well be the hallmark symptoms of an acute myocardial infarction.
Ultimately, the swifter the emergency response time, the exponentially higher the chances of sheer survival, effectively minimizing the dire risk of long-term sequelae.
A comprehensive study analyzing 124 young myocardial infarction patients, ranging strictly from 18 to 45 years old, at the University Medical Center HCMC revealed that a staggering 90 percent of the patients were male; furthermore, over 50 percent were smokers, 50 percent suffered from hypertension, more than 30 percent grappled with obesity, and 77 percent had underlying coronary artery disease.
Looking at the broader picture, global research also unequivocally corroborates that roughly 90 percent of youthful myocardial infarction patients possess at least one glaring risk factor, such as hypertension, blood lipid disorders, chronic smoking, obesity, or diabetes.
