Study tracks rise in heart attacks among ‘healthy’ patients

University of Sydney medical scientists have found “a surprising increase” in heart attacks among patients with no obvious risk factors such as obesity, high blood pressure, smoking or diabetes.

An eight-year study that reviewed data for almost 700 heart attack patients at Sydney’s Royal North Shore hospital found that the incidence of heart attacks among those considered healthy increased from 11 per cent to 27 per cent over that period.

It also found that around 25 per cent of heart attack patients had no common risk factors such as high cholesterol, diabetes or smoking cigarettes.