Heart attack at 32: Debra’s story

Debra Johnson does not fit the typical image of a candidate for heart disease. Health-conscious and a non-smoker, she is the picture of a healthy and active young woman.

But at age 32, during a stressful rush to catch a plane in her job as an airline attendant, Johnson experienced a heart attack. She was taken off the plane and driven by ambulance to a Dallas-Ft. Worth area hospital.

That was the beginning of her awareness that even the young and fit are not immune to heart attack. And neither are women.

Pre-attack symptoms

Leading up to the attack, Johnson experienced what she now knows were chronic symptoms of women’s heart disease.

"I was unbearably tired for months before the heart attack," said Johnson.

In addition, she had an elevated cholesterol level and suffered heartburn. Shortness of breath began at the onset of the attack.

"Women do not always have the same heart symptoms as men," says Jeffrey Chambers, MD, Johnson’s cardiologist. “They don’t always experience the classic chest pain, arm pain.”

A family history of heart disease

Johnson is no stranger to heart disease. Both her parents had open-heart surgery in their early 40s. Her mother died at age 57 of heart failure.

Now at age 40, and the mother of two children, 12 and 14 years old, Johnson knows the importance of preventing another heart attack. "With two kids, you want to be around."

A second chance

Johnson is thankful her heart attack occurred in a situation where she could be helped quickly. "I feel lucky it happened the way it did. Because I went to the hospital right away, I did not suffer heart damage – and I got a second chance. Some women never have that opportunity. The first attack kills them."

The blockage that caused Johnson's heart attack was initially treated with medications.

Years later, after Johnson moved to the Twin Cities and was under Dr. Chambers' care, Johnson had more heart symptoms. She subsequently went to Mercy Hospital, where she received two stents. A stent is a tiny device made of metal that is placed inside an artery to hold it open and allow blood to flow through the blood vessel.

Eight years out from the heart attack, Johnson says she feels well. She works out more than ever, stays away from the "bad stuff," (like fatty foods) and is on a cholesterol-lowering drug.

Her priorities have changed too. "I make sure I'm here for the kids," she says.

Why so young?

But why would someone have a heart attack at 32?

"Heart attacks are occurring in younger people – even in younger women -- due in part to our diet and lifestyle as Americans," says Chambers.

There is also the genetic factor. "It's important for people who have a family history of heart disease to be aware, and start watching risk factors at an early age," says Chambers.

The cardiologist adds that eating right and exercise are important, but not enough for many people like Debra. "Their bodies make too much bad cholesterol, and they require cholesterol-lowering medications to prevent heart disease."

Risk factors

You may suffer a heart attack if you have any of these risk factors:

high cholesterol
high triglycerides
a family history of heart disease
smoking
high blood pressure
diabetes - type 1 or type 2
inactive lifestyle
difficult to manage stress
obesity

"It's really important to adopt a heart healthy lifestyle," says Chambers. "While it remains America's leading killer of both men and women, heart disease is preventable."