A heart attack in your 40s? It could happen.
ROSEMARY BOSEMAN HAD never been too concerned with the health of her heart. A wife, mother, and full-time career woman, she successfully juggled family and work while also overcoming lupus, which is in remission 17 years after her initial diagnosis. So when she suffered a heart attack on July 7, 2015, the 41-year-old was shocked.
“I don’t have a history of high blood pressure or high cholesterol,” says Mrs. Boseman, who experienced intense nausea upon her arrival to work on that fateful summer morning. “I felt like I had food poisoning.”
VITAL ACTION
Mrs. Boseman’s employer, internal medicine physician Samina SyedNaqvi, MD, recommended that she take an aspirin and lay down for a few minutes. But it wasn’t long before Mrs. Boseman got in her car and drove herself to the nearest emergency department (ED) at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Rahway—a decision that would ultimately save her life.
“When Mrs. Boseman presented to the ED with chest pain, the electrocardiogram [EKG] showed ST elevation myocardial infarction, or a heart attack,” says Ghassan Chehade, MD, FACC, cardiologist with RWJ Rahway. “We immediately activated the team in the catheterization lab, and within 30 minutes, she had an angiogram.”
The test indicated 100 percent blockage of Mrs. Boseman’s left anterior descending artery, which, according to Dr. Chehade, was not uncommon given her history of lupus.
“A chronic immune disorder that triggers inflammation, lupus can cause artery damage and plaque buildup that can lead to clogged arteries and cause heart attack or stroke,” Dr. Chehade says. “Young patients with lupus are nearly six times more likely to have plaque buildup like Mrs. Boseman did.”
Mrs. Boseman’s condition was promptly treated through angioplasty to reopen the artery and place a stent to maintain bloodflow. After one week at the hospital, she returned home with her husband, Zinnar, and baby, Enelia.
LIVING A HEALTHIER LIFE
Months after her heart attack, Mrs. Boseman is feeling healthier than ever, swimming at her sister’s pool on a regular basis and enjoying fresh, nourishing meals filled with lots of steamed vegetables. She has eliminated pork from her regular menu—which has been challenging for the Colombian-American— and modified her intake of desserts.
But Mrs. Boseman says the most important habit that she would recommend to other women is to have regular health screenings from the professionals at RWJ Rahway.
“Have checkups no matter what,” Mrs. Boseman says. “The team at RWJ Rahway will take the very best care of you. You can trust them.”