Doctors have long believed that frailty is a condition that mainly affects older adults, often recognized by slow walking, weakness, and memory issues.
But new research shows this belief may be dangerously outdated. A major study from the University of Leicester has found that frailty is not only common in younger adults who suffer heart attacks—it can also be deadly.
The study, published in the European Heart Journal, analyzed nearly one million heart attack cases in England and Wales. It discovered that nearly 1 in 10 patients under 55 were moderately or severely frail. Surprisingly, these patients often didn’t show the usual signs of frailty seen in older people.
Instead, their frailty was driven by long-term health issues like diabetes, high blood pressure, kidney disease, and early signs of heart failure. These illnesses build up over time and create a kind of biological weakness, even if the person looks young and active.
Because doctors typically don’t screen young people for frailty, these patients often miss out on the extra care they need. In fact, younger frail patients were found to be at much higher risk of dying early after a heart attack.
Compared to other people their age, severely frail patients had nearly four times the risk of death. On average, they died six years earlier than expected.
The study was led by Dr. Hasan Mohiaddin and Dr. Muhammad Rashid from the University of Leicester. They stress that the medical field needs to rethink how it treats younger heart attack patients.
“We can no longer assume that a 45-year-old will simply bounce back after a heart attack,” said Dr. Mohiaddin. “Our data shows these patients are biologically vulnerable in ways that age alone cannot explain.”
Dr. Rashid, a heart specialist, added that frailty checks should be part of standard care for all heart attack patients, not just the elderly. “We’ve uncovered a hidden high-risk population,” he said.
“Young people with this type of frailty actually have worse outcomes than many older adults. We want to find these people earlier and create better treatments to help them live longer, healthier lives.”
This study is part of a larger international effort, involving researchers from universities and hospitals in the UK, Sweden, and the US. Based on these results, the University of Leicester is launching a new research program to improve how doctors detect and treat frailty in young adults.
The goal is to help patients who might otherwise be overlooked get the personalized care they need—before it’s too late.
If you care about heart health, please read studies that yogurt may help lower the death risks in heart disease, and coconut sugar could help reduce artery stiffness.
For more information about health, please see recent studies that Vitamin D deficiency can increase heart disease risk, and results showing vitamin B6 linked to lower death risk in heart disease.
Copyright © 2025 Knowridge Science Report. All rights reserved.
