Teenagers may be the missing link in reducing future heart disease statistics

Reports of recent heart attacks in well-known individuals, and fears that thousands of Australians may have missed heart checks during the pandemic,¹ has prompted discussions and increased public messaging around cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevention. CVD is a major cause of death in Australia, with someone hospitalised every minute and one person dying every 12 minutes.¹ To try to prevent this deadly disease, adults over 45 years old are encouraged to have a heart health check.² However, in this preventative strategy are we potentially missing a vulnerable population group—adolescents? Recent studies show that earlier, targeted preventative measures may be needed.^3,4