Heart disease showing up in younger years

LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) - Heart disease is the leading cause of death in this country.

We all know the risk of heart disease increases with age, but some factors are sliding that age back a little as younger adults are tempting heart disease with cocaine use and methamphetamines.

Dr. Scott Shurmur is a Cardiologist and Texas Tech Physician. He says you never know when the heart could respond negatively to substance abuse.

He explains, “The actual ingestion of cocaine or methamphetamine can trigger a heart attack. And even if that ingestion doesn’t cause an event at that point, gradual use over time sort of wears out the heart muscle and replaces it with scar tissue and leads to the development of something we call heart failure.”

Dr. Shurmur says today, people in their 40s and younger are finding themselves at risk for heart disease more than previous generations due to the increasing incidence of diabetes, obesity, and drug use.

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