Kenneth Scott asked:


According to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, coronary heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women in the United States. Heart attacks kill about 460,000 Americans every year. People usually die within one hour of when symptoms start, but before they get to the hospital. If more people recognized the signs of heart attacks and acted sooner, more people would survive them.

One reason that people do not always recognize the warning signs of heart attacks is that they act differently. Even people who have had a heart attack before might not recognize another one because it could be completely different. The main thing to remember is that if you are not sure, have it checked out. It is better to have a false alarm than to not respond to the real thing. Quick response greatly increases your chances for surviving heart attacks.

Most heart attacks start out with some sort of discomfort to the chest.
It may not be the searing pain that you might expect from a heart attack, but there will probably be something. Some people have described before a squeezing sensation, or simply a pain or fullness. The pain may last for a few minutes, or it may come and go away and come back again.

Many people also experience some sort of pain in the upper area of the body during heart attacks. It may show up in the arms, back, neck, jaw, or stomach. If you have pain or even a mild discomfort in any of these areas you should have it checked out, especially if there is a history of heart disease in your family or if you have been diagnosed with heart problems. Many people try to wait this type of pain out, but it only gets worse. If you wait, you may be too late. Heart attacks are not something to wait around on. Make sure that you get help immediately.

There are many other symptoms of heart attacks that you can identify. Some people experience a cold sweat, nausea, or light-headedness. Most people also experience shortness of breath. There are many different symptoms that you can identify as warning signals of heart attacks. The most important thing is that you react quickly to these symptoms. Even if you do not like doctors or hospitals, a short stay in one is better than leaving immediately.

On top of learning warning signs of heart attacks, you can take preventative measures to keep yourself safe. Exercise properly, eat right, and see your doctor for regular checkups. Remember that heart disease does not mean your life will be cut short, undiagnosed and untreated heart disease will put you on the fast track for heart attacks.

Vincent

Rita K asked:


I know a guy who is 44 and had a heart attack (mild one) about a month ago. He was feeling great the first four weeks, but suddenly started having minor bouts of angina the last week or so. Nothing debilitating, just tweaks of heartburn and light-headedness, but would go away with a blast of nitro spay. Is this common? Should it be a major concern, or is it part of the healing process?

Arthur

Groshan Fabiola asked:


Heart attack is one of the most serious problems that in some cases may lead to death. A heart attack occurs when the supply of blood and oxygen to an area of heart muscle is blocked. In most of the cases the oxygen is blocked by a clot in the coronary artery. This blockage usually leads to arrhythmias which is the irregular heartbeat and is the cause of severe decrease in the pumping function of the heart. It is also good to know that if the affected heart muscle is not treated in a few hours the heart muscle will die and it will be replaced by a scar tissue.

The heart attack might be included in the life threatening problems. That is why it is good to be informed about the warning signs and how to get emergency help. The most common death cause in heart attack patients is the late help they are given.

Statistics say that in U.S. more than a million persons suffer a heart attack and more than half of them die. A quarter of the patients die within 1 hour after the start of the symptoms.

There are specialized emergency personnel than may intervene to stop arrhythmias with emergency CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation), defibrillation or other prompt advanced cardiac life support procedures. If they intervene soon enough the blood flow in the blocked artery can be restored and might be prevented the permanent damage to the heart. Even if most of the people know that a quick intervention may have positive results they do not seek for medical care within two hours after the first symptom. Many of the patients go to see a doctor the second day.

In most of the cases the heart attack is caused by a blood clot that blocks one of the coronary arteries. In this case the part of the heart which is not oxygenated might die. Medical problems such as coronary artery disease, also known as CAD, are one of the most common causes for heart attack. This condition is described as the hardening and narrowing of the coronary arteries by the buildup of plague in the inside walls. In time, plague build up in the coronary arteries might lead to narrow arteries so that less blood flows to the heart muscle, a block of the arteries and the flow of blood, the forming of blood clots.

Other similar causes might lead to heart attacks. Among them we should remember the tightening of the coronary artery that reduces or even stops the blood flow to the heart, drug intake, emotional stress, exposure to cold or even smoking or drinking.

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Stephanie

fourbearsandacat asked:


I am 45 and a woman. I have been having pain in my shoulders and mid back, trouble breathing, and dizziness. I have been using my inhaler every 2 hours and have been taking 800mgs of motrin for the pain and a gas X and previcid for my stomach. The breathing problems seems better but I am still in some pain. My husband, a nurse, says I am not presenting the symptoms of a heart attack and thinks it is more upper respiratory related. I have also had sore shoulders for a while with limited movement that my doctor thinks is my rotator cuff. Do you think I should ride it out on pain meds and albutoral or go to the emergency room? I’m not in distress as much as I was. Any suggestions? Thanks!

Justin

FerCerealClan F asked:


How does the risk of a heart attack among the physically unfit compare with the risk among the physically fit during and in the first hour after strenuous exercise?

a. There is no discernible difference.
b. It is about twice as high among the unfit.
c. It is about 10 times higher among the unfit.
d. It is about 50 times higher among the unfit.

Grace

mobermeier4 asked:


My husband went to the er with all symptoms of heart attack except chest pain. He had elevated enzymes and 3 ekgs that screamed heart attack. They treated him for a heart attack, but then did a scan and said there was no blockage so it wasn’t a heart attack. What else could it be. He is still in the hospital in terrible pain. The pain is above his right kidney. I’m getting scared, can anyone give me some ideas?

Beatrice

speedysugarbug asked:


How do you know if you are having a heart attack or it’s just “Angina” ?

Samuel

Tong Bee asked:


Heart disease is the number one cause of death both men and women in the United States. But fortunately, today there are superior treatments for heart attack that can rescue lives and forbid disabilities. Treatment is almost efficient when started within 1 minute of the start of symptoms. 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 occurs when the blood supply to part of the heart muscle itself - the myocardium - is severely reduced or stopped. The reduction or stoppage happens when one or more of the coronary arteries supplying blood to the heart muscle is blocked. This is usually caused by the buildup of plaque (deposits of fat-like substances), a process called atherosclerosis. The plaque can eventually burst, tear or rupture, creating a “snag” where a blood clot forms and blocks the artery. This leads to a heart attack.

If the blood supply is cut off for more than a few minutes, muscle cells suffer permanent injury and die. This can kill or disable someone, depending on how much heart muscle is damaged. The medical term for heart attack is myocardial infarction. A heart attack is also sometimes called a coronary thrombosis or coronary occlusion.

If you or someone that you’re with is having a heart attack:

1. Call 9-1-1 within a few minutes.

2. Only take an ambulance to the hospital. Going in a private car can delay treatment.

3. Take a nitroglycerin pill if your doctor has prescribed this type of medicine.

4. Put an aspirin under your tongue. Aspirin reduces blood clotting and can help keep a heart attack from getting worse. But don’t delay calling 9-1-1 to take an aspirin.

Dorothy

Andrew Bicknell asked:


Chest pain is the most common heart attack sign but it is important to understand that there are different kinds of chest pain. Many people with coronary artery disease suffer from angina pectoris which is chest pain or discomfort when the heart is not receiving enough blood. It normally occurs when the heart is working harder, such as during exercise or physical activity, but goes away when the activity is stopped.

The chest pain associated with a heart attack can occur at any time, most notably in the morning, and is of long duration and continuous. People with a history of angina may experience more frequent anginal attacks in the weeks or days before they have a heart attack.

The chest pain is often described as severe, as if something was crushing the heart attack victim’s chest; a heavy, squeezing or extreme pressure sensation. Some people have described it as a tightness of the chest or burning sensation. The pain itself usually begins in the center of the chest. Then it can radiate outwards and affect the shoulders, neck, jaw, or arms. These chest pains will last 15 to minutes and are not relieved by resting or taking nitroglycerin.

The signs of a heart attack for women and older adults can be different. Often their symptoms present as atypical chest pains. This means it feels more like indigestion or heartburn and can include nausea and vomiting. Women are more likely than men to have a silent or unrecognized heart attack. For women they will also experience shortness of breath and fatigue and weakness of the shoulders and upper arms.

Older adults will often seek medical attention for a variety of symptoms including difficulty breathing, confusion, fainting, dizziness, abdominal pain or cough. They often think they are having a stroke when in fact they are suffering a heart attack.

Other symptoms that occur during a heart attack are responses to the damage that the heart is undergoing during the attack. Anxiety, tachycardia (rapid heart beat), and vasoconstriction (narrowing of the blood vessels) occur in response to sympathetic nervous system stimulation. This results in cool, clammy, mottled skin. The respiratory center of the brain responds to pain and blood chemistry changes by increasing respiration rate. Death of heart tissue causes inflammation that causes an increase in white blood cells and an elevation in temperature.

Depending of the location and amount of infracted (dead) heart tissue other signs of heart can include high blood pressure, low blood pressure, nausea, vomiting, or bradycardia (slow heart rate). Irritation of the diaphragm can cause the hiccups as well. In extreme cases the first sign of a heart attack is a sudden death. This is particularly likely in the event that a major blood vessel is completely blocked.

It is utmost importance to seek medical attention at the first signs of heart attack. The sooner a heart attack victim receives medical attention the better their chances of survival.

Clyde

Chookster asked:


When in the Auvergne Rhone-Alpes region of France recently I noticed a lot of roadside signs depicting a black sillouette of a man with a red part indicating a broken heart or a brain injury (”attack”?). Sometimes these were in groups of 2 or 3. What do these mean? I thought perhaps to indicate where there had been previous road accidents, as a deterant, but there appeared to be a lot of them. Also, why sometimes a brain attack symbol, and othertimes a heart attack symbol? They mostly seemed to appear on the outskirts of small towns.

Patrick