Anyone can have a heart attack at any age. It is not that common. Most of the time when it is a young person there is an underlying problem that has not been detected. Every week it claims the lives of an average of four people – making young heart attack almost as deadly as meningitis. One reason is some young people have hypertrophic cardiomyopathy which is a genetic disease in which the heart muscle thickens abnormally. The thickened heart muscle can interfere with the heart s electrical system, increasing the risk for life-threatening abnormal heartbeats (arrhythmias) and, sudden death. Among those who have died by the disease is the son of one-time Wales football manager, Terry Yorath, Daniel, who died aged 15, within months of signing for Leeds United; Olympic cycling hopeful Adrian Hawkins, 22; Everton footballing prodigy John Marshall who was just 16; and Laura Moss, 13, a brilliant young international swimmer. Student Caroline Lucas, 21, was one of the latest victims. The gifted university student was found dead in her bed by her father after an evening revising for an exam. She had showed no signs of illness. If you are asking for yourself or someone you care about, please have yourself or the one you care about checked out by a cardiologist. Click these links if you would like to read more information: http://www.c-r-y.org.uk/heart_attack_young_healthy_people.htm http://nitawriter.wordpress.com/2006/09/24/young-at-heart/ http://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/tc/Hypertrophic-Cardiomyopathy-Topic-Overview