Aging baby boomers may swamp cardiac care (USA)

Baby boomers are not in good shape, even when compared with their counterparts 10 or 20 years ago, researchers warn. According to a new study, more aging boomers are being hospitalized for heart attacks now than people their age were a generation ago, and the increase in cases could place a big burden on cardiac care wards nationwide. But on the upside, improvements in medical care may allow more people from this generation to recover and leave the hospital after a heart attack, the researchers say. "The first baby boomers will begin turning 65 in a year-and-a-half, making the aging of this group an important public health issue," said Hylan Shoob, lead author of a study that was to be presented Thursday at an American Heart Association conference in Palm Harbor, Fla. - Business Week