Emergency calls for cardiac arrest at the home of Sen. Lindsey Graham on Saturday night have fueled speculation that the South Carolina Republican died of a heart attack, a diagnosis that aligns with a family history of cardiovascular disease.
Graham’s staff issued a statement in the early hours of Sunday morning saying that the senior senator from South Carolina died following a “brief and sudden illness,” but has not confirmed the cause of death. Previously reported dispatch audio details that emergency medical services personnel responded to a call of cardiac arrest, the medical term for a heart attack, at Graham’s residence late Saturday evening.
Graham, 71, had a family history of heart disease. His father, Florence James Graham, died of a heart attack at the age of 68, after which Graham became the legal guardian of his then 13-year-old sister. Their mother died from cancer 15 months before their father’s death.
Heart disease, the most common cause of death in the United States, is highly hereditary. Children of parents with premature cardiovascular disease have between a 60% and 75% chance of developing heart problems later in life.
One person in the United States has a heart attack every 40 seconds, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, roughly 805,000 every year. About 1-in-5 heart attacks are silent, meaning that damage is done but the person is not aware of it.
Coronary artery disease, the most common form of heart disease, occurs when cholesterol and other substances build up in the arteries that supply blood to the heart, reducing the oxygen flow to the heart muscle.
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Health conditions such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, or being overweight increase the risk of developing coronary artery disease. Lifestyle factors, such as unhealthy diet, lack of physical activity, and too much alcohol, can also contribute to heart disease.
President Donald Trump said on NBC News’s Meet the Press on Sunday that Graham seemed a “little tired” during a telephone conversation in the hours before his death. Graham was scheduled to appear on Meet the Press on Sunday morning.
The Washington Examiner contacted Graham’s office with a request for comment.