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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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Can A 23 Year Old Have Heart Disease ?

Recently I seem to be having symptoms of what I believe to be heart disease. I was reading about the symptoms on WebMD and I seem to be suffering from many of the symptoms listed as of late. My question is: I m 23 years old. Is it possible that I have heart disease or could it be something more minor? I was laid off from my company back in March and have no health insurance and I really can t afford to take on massive hospital bills if its nothing serious. Additional details: I have never done drugs and I do have somewhat of a pre-disposition for heart issues. My grandparents on my mother s side have both had multiple strokes and on my dad s side have high blood pressure/cholesterol. My mother is 46 and is already on a statin and my father (also 46) I believe is on cholesterol and blood pressure medication. I attribute most of this to their previous weight but it could be genetic. I have no knowledge of my great grandparents having any heart conditions due to most of them having cancer.
Fri, 18 Dec 2009
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Short answer: yes. The problem with reading symptoms on the internet is that it's so easy to relate them to non-specific symptoms which you may be having and these symptoms may be unconnected. It depends what type of heart disease you mean. Coronary heart disease is generally seen in much older people but it can sometimes affect young people, especially if there is a strong family history. Structural abnormalities of the heart including valvular disease can sometimes present later in life. How old were your grandparents when they had strokes? If it's above the age of 55 (for men) and 65 (for women) then this isn't really significant as this can be considered part of the normal ageing process and is not really premature. Did your parents have high cholesterol or other heart issues when they were in their 20s and 30s? If so, it's worth having your cholesterol levels checked. Make an appointment with your Doctor and he'll arrange this for you. Grandparents are not first degree relatives either. Excess weight, an unhealthy diet and lack of exercise will of course contribute to premature ageing. If you have health concerns, see your GP and he'll do some general tests.
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Can A 23 Year Old Have Heart Disease ?

Short answer: yes. The problem with reading symptoms on the internet is that it s so easy to relate them to non-specific symptoms which you may be having and these symptoms may be unconnected. It depends what type of heart disease you mean. Coronary heart disease is generally seen in much older people but it can sometimes affect young people, especially if there is a strong family history. Structural abnormalities of the heart including valvular disease can sometimes present later in life. How old were your grandparents when they had strokes? If it s above the age of 55 (for men) and 65 (for women) then this isn t really significant as this can be considered part of the normal ageing process and is not really premature. Did your parents have high cholesterol or other heart issues when they were in their 20s and 30s? If so, it s worth having your cholesterol levels checked. Make an appointment with your Doctor and he ll arrange this for you. Grandparents are not first degree relatives either. Excess weight, an unhealthy diet and lack of exercise will of course contribute to premature ageing. If you have health concerns, see your GP and he ll do some general tests.