Tuesday, March 12, 2019

Current Event 5

Megan Barker 3/11/19
Bio 10H C Odd Current Event 5

Rettner, Rachael. "Why Are More Young People Having Heart Attacks?." Live Science. N. p., 2019. Web. 12 Mar. 2019.


In the article “Why Are More Young People Having Heart Attacks?” by Rachael Rettner, scientists explore recent findings which find that adults in their ‘20s and ‘30s are at an increased risk of heart attacks. The article explains how heart attacks are just as lethal as they are in older adults. She describes how in years past, it was extremely uncommon for younger adults to suffer heart attacks. She goes on to explain the study in detail, in which 2,100 heart attack patient cases from 2000-2016. She includes shocking statistics, such as “1 in 5 patients, or 20 percent, were 40 or younger. But for the last 10 years of the study, the proportion of patients 40 and younger increased by about 2 percent each year”(Rettner). After explaining the study, Rettner gives a possible cause for this rise in heart attacks. She states that the cause may be increased substance usage, in drugs such as marijuana. She mentions that the evidence for this is not concrete. She adds that doctors are probably less likely to prescribe medicines such as Aspirins and Statins to younger heart attack victims.
This article is incredibly relevant to society. Younger people are increasingly suffering from heart attacks, and the risks that result from them. The fact that there is a new threat to the health and life of early adults is quite terrifying. Though it is important to know that the risk exists, it is equally important to note that scientists are still unsure of what is causing this increase in heart attacks. Still, this risk is incredibly prevalent in society, as it means that people who thought that they were not susceptible to heart attacks actually are.

This article was very well-written. It used clear structure and vocabulary, and was thus easy to read. Additionally, all of Rettner’s claims were supported by facts and studies. Additionally, the article was concise, but still informative. It did not feel as though Rettner was leaving any information out. That being said, her article still could have been improved. The title, for example, could be more relevant to the article. Her article does not actually answer the question of why more young people are having heart attacks, so it might be more relevant to title it “More Young People Are Having Heart Attacks,” or something of that nature. Additionally, it would have been effective if Rettner put more possible causes of these heart attacks in her article, such as the increase of prolonged stress and anxiety in millennials. This might have added to her article and help readers further understand the topic or possible ways to prevent getting a heart attack. Lastly, the paragraph describing how younger people take less aspirins and statins was unnecessary and did not add much to the article. Thus, the article could have been improved by the removal of that paragraph.

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