Every year about 805,000 Americans have a heart attack.
The heart pumps oxygen-rich blood to the rest of the body through an intricate network of arteries. However, the arteries around your heart can get blocked, usually by a blood clot and less often because of severe spasms and dissection. When this happens, blood flow is slowed or blocked.
The classic image of a person having a heart attack is one of a person clutching their chest, complaining of crushing chest pain or an elephant sitting on their chest. However, in real life, the symptoms can be more subtle.
The symptoms are:
- Chest discomfort or pain: A person may experience pressure, squeezing, fullness, or pain in the center of their chest. This may come and go or persist for more than a few minutes.
- Pain or discomfort in other body parts: A person may also experience pain or discomfort in one or both arms, the stomach, jaw, back, or neck.
- Shortness of breath: A person may feel a shortness of breath with or without chest pain.
Some other heart attack symptoms may include:
- cold sweat
- nausea
- feeling light-headed
- heart palpitations
- sleep disturbances
- fatigue
Risk factors of a heart attack are similar between males and females. The American Heart Foundation list the following as risk factors:
- increasing age
- being male
- parents with heart disease
- smoking
- high cholesterol
- high blood pressure
- physical inactivity
- living with obesity
- diabetes
- stress
- alcohol intake
- diet
Some of the risk factors associated with heart attacks are not reversible, such as sex and genetic risk of heart disease.
However, a person can lower their risk of a heart attack by focusing on lifestyle changes, such as:
- Reducing or limiting alcohol intake: Low-to-moderate intake of alcohol may have some benefits for heart health. However, excessive drinking can damage the heart.
- Regularly exercising: Regular physical activity reduces blood pressure and the risk of death from a heart attack.
- Adopting a Mediterranean diet: Research suggests that people who consume Mediterranean diets may have better heart health.
- Stopping smoking: The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute note that the risk of heart problems decrease soon after people quit smoking. This risk continues to decline over time.
- Losing weight: Researchers link obesity to cardiovascular issues. Therefore, losing weight may reduce the risk of a heart attack.
People cannot change all their risk factors for a heart attack. However, they can lower their likelihood by adopting a healthful lifestyle, engaging in regular physical activity, stopping smoking, and limiting alcohol consumption.