Each year, about 1.1 million people in the United States have heart attacks, and almost half of them die. Many more people could recover from heart attacks if they got help faster. Of the people who die from heart attacks, about half die within an hour of the first symptoms and before they reach the hospital.
A heart attack, also known as a myocardial infarction, occurs when the blood flow that feeds a part of the heart is blocked. Like all of your body, the heart needs a steady supply of oxygen and other nutrients supplied by the blood. Without blood, heart cells are injured, causing pain or pressure. If blood flow is not restored, heart cells may die. A heart attack is the end of a process that typically occurs over several hours. If blood flow can be restored in time, damage to the heart may be limited or prevented.
Common signs and symptoms of a heart attack may include:
- Discomfort, pressure, or a squeezing pain in the center of your chest lasting for more than a few minutes
- Pain extending to your shoulder, arm, back, teeth, and/or jaw
- Prolonged pain in the upper abdomen
- Shortness of breath
- Lightheadedness or fainting
- Nausea and vomiting
- Sweating
Signs and symptoms of a heart attack in women may differ from or be less noticeable than those in men. In addition to the symptoms above, heart attack symptoms in women may include abdominal pain or "heartburn," clammy skin, dizziness, and/or unusual or unexplained fatigue.
Not all people who have heart attacks experience the same symptoms – some people have none at all. The earliest predictor of an attack may be recurrent chest pain that is triggered by exertion and relieved by rest.
Certain factors may increase your risk of a heart attack, including but not limited to:
- Smoking
- High blood pressure
- High cholesterol or triglyceride levels
- Increasing age
- Lack of physical avtivity and/or obesity
- Diabetes
- Stress
- Alcohol
- Family history
You may be able to modify or eliminate many of these risk factors to reduce your chances of having a heart attack. Although risk factors such as heredity and gender cannot be changed, risk may be reduced by controlling other factors. Men are generally at greater risk for heart attack than women. However, the risk for women increases after menopause.
If you are having a heart attack or suspect you are having one, act immediately: call 9-1-1 or your local emergency number. Acting quickly at the first sign of symptoms can decrease heart damage and increase chances of survival. If you don't have access to emergency medical services, have someone drive you to the nearest hospital.
If you encounter someone who is unconscious from a presumed heart attack, call 9-1-1 immediately. It may be necessary to begin cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) to keep blood and oxygen flowing. If you haven't taken CPR training, use the hands-only CPR approach: compress the chest at a rate of 100 per minute. If available, an automatic external defibrillator (AED) that shocks the heart back into a normal rhythm may provide emergency treatment before a person suffering a heart attack reaches the hospital.
It is never too late to take steps to prevent a heart attack – even if you've already had one. While drug therapy may help reduce the risk of a second heart attack and help a damaged heart function better, lifestyle factors play a critical role in heart-attack prevention and recovery. Taking the following steps may help you prevent and/or recover from a heart attack:
- Don't smoke.
- Check and control your blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol.
- Get regular medical checkups.
- Get regular physical activity – at least 30 minutes per day on most days of the week.
- Maintain a healthy weight.
- Eat a heart-healthy diet.
- Manage stress.
- Follow medical advice.
For more information, visit the http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/HeartAttack/HeartAttack_WhatIs.html.In addition, you may want to look at the interactive tutorial on heart attack available from the National Library of Medicine. The tutorial is also available in Spanish.
Author: Andy Crocker is Extension Program Specialist - Gerontology and Health with Texas AgriLife Extension Service, Texas A&M System.
