Facts About Heart Attacks

Fact: Coronary Heart Disease Is The Most Common Form Of Heart Disease

Coronary heart disease is an umbrella term used to refer to all conditions that affect the structure and function of the heart that develops when the arteries cannot deliver enough oxygenated blood to the heart. Affecting more than 18 million adults in the United States over the age of 20, coronary heart disease is the most common type of heart disease.

What Causes A Heart Attack

The heart is a muscle that pumps blood. Like all muscles, the heart needs a steady supply of blood to work. Blood that pumps through the heart doesn’t feed the heart muscle. Instead, the heart muscle is fed by its own arteries. These arteries are called coronary arteries. Coronary is a word for heart.

Most heart attacks happen when one of your coronary arteries is suddenly blocked by a blood clot.

• Atherosclerosis is commonly known as hardening of the arteries

• Atherosclerosis is the slow build-up of cholesterol and other fatty material in your arteries

• This build-up is called an atheroma or plaque

• The plaque may rupture suddenly, causing a blood clot that blocks the artery

The blocked artery doesn’t let blood get through to part of your heart muscle. If blood flow is cut off for more than a few minutes, that part of your heart muscle dies. The dead muscle can’t pump blood, so your heart is weaker. Your heart’s rhythm may also be affected, causing it to beat too fast or too slow. Sometimes your heart stops completely and you die.

If part of your heart muscle dies, it doesn’t come back. The dead muscle is replaced by scar tissue.

Myth: Only Men Should Worry About Heart Attacks

Heart attacks are definitely not just a guy thing. In fact, each year more women die from heart attacks than from breast cancer. In general, men and women experience heart attacks in roughly equal amounts.

Men tend to get heart disease and have heart attacks at younger ages than women, but more women than men die from heart attacks. According to the American Heart Association, heart disease is the leading cause of death among women each year. That works out to about one woman dying every minute from heart disease.

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Are There Complications Of A Heart Attack

Complications following a heart attack can include:

• Arrhythmia your heart may develop an irregular heartbeat following a heart attack due to damaged heart muscles disrupting electrical signals.
• Heart failure your heart may have ongoing difficulty pumping enough blood, due to its muscles being too weak or stiff.
• Cardiogenic shock where your whole body goes into shock from extensive heart muscle damage.
• Heart rupture this is a rare but serious complication in which the hearts muscles, walls or valves split apart.

These can be dangerous if untreated, but your healthcare team will help to manage them if they occur.

Heart Disease By Ethnicity

Non-Hispanic Black Americans have the highest prevalence of heart disease of any race in the United States. From 2015 to 2018 in the United States, heart disease occurred in those ages 20 and older in the following populations:

• 58.8% of non-Hispanic Black females and 60.1% of non-Hispanic Black males
• 42.1% of non-Hispanic White females and 53.6% of non-Hispanic White males
• 42.7% of Hispanic females and 52.3% of Hispanic males
• 42.5% of non-Hispanic Asian females and 52.0% of non-Hispanic Asian males

Heart disease rates are also high among Native Americans and Alaska Natives. Some forms of the disease, such as heart failure and arrhythmia, are understudied in these groups. Coronary heart disease rates are 12% higher in these populations than in other ethnic groups and are believed to be underreported by 21%.

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About 50% Of Americans Have At Least One Risk Factor For Heart Disease

Heart attack facts remark that there are top three factors for heart disease. These include high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and smoking. Astoundingly, about half of Americans have at least one of those factors.

Some other behaviors and conditions that could increase the risk are obesity, unhealthy eating habits, physical inactivity, and diabetes. Following this, one could choose to resort to weight loss pills or appetite suppressants, if need be.

Heart Disease Facts And Statistics: What You Need To Know

• Mortality Rates

Heart disease is the number one cause of death in the United States, taking more lives each year than all forms of cancer and chronic lower respiratory disease combined. Its estimated that nearly half of all adults in the United States have heart disease.

This article will highlight important facts and statistics you should know about heart disease.

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Other Causes Of A Heart Attack

Not all heart attacks are caused by blockages from atherosclerosis. When other heart and blood vessel conditions cause a heart attack, it is called myocardial infarction in the absence of obstructive coronary artery disease . MINOCA is more common in women, younger people, and racial and ethnic minorities, including Black, Hispanic/Latino, and Asian people.

Conditions that can cause MINOCA have different effects on the heart.

Other conditions may cause symptoms similar to a heart attack. Your doctor will look at all of your test results to rule them out.

How Common Is Heart Disease

Heart disease is prevalent in the United States and most of the world. Between 2015 and 2018:

• Nearly 1 out of every 2 adults in the United States had a form of heart disease.
• About 4 out of 10 women in the United States ages 20 and older had some form of heart disease.
• About 5 out of 10 men in the United States, ages 20 and older, had some form of heart disease.

The number of American adults with heart disease is increasing. Between 2013 and 2016, 121.5 million American adults had heart disease. Between 2015 and 2018, the number of American adults with heart disease was 126.9 million.

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The Facts About Women And Heart Disease

Fact: Cardiovascular disease is the No. 1 killer of women, causing 1 in 3 deaths each year. Its a third of our mothers, sisters, friends, neighbors, coworkers and more. Its a third of the women we cant bear to live with it.

Fact: Cardiovascular disease impacts some women at higher rates than others, but the simple truth is that most cardiovascular diseases can still be prevented with education and healthy lifestyle changes.

Fact: Heart disease and stroke can affect a woman at any age, making it vital for all women to understand their personal risk factors and family history. Women can also experience unique life events that can impact their risk, including pregnancy and menopause. Furthermore, research shows that stress may impact health, making it important for women to understand the mind-body connection and how to focus on improving both their physical health and mental well-being.

Fact: Losing even one woman to cardiovascular disease is too many.

Cardiovascular disease is the No. 1 killer of women, causing 1 in 3 deaths each year.

Can You Prevent A Heart Attack

You can lower your risk of a heart attack by changing behaviors that can raise your risks or treating any known coronary artery disease. Healthy lifestyle changes, including heart-healthy eating, staying active, quitting smoking, managing stress, and maintaining a healthy weight, can help prevent heart disease. Even if you already have coronary artery disease, these changes can lower your risk of a heart attack.

It is also important for you to get treatment for other health conditions that raise your risk of a heart attack. Talk to your doctor about whether taking aspirin can help you prevent blood clots that can lead to a heart attack.

Research for your health

Learn about current and future NHLBI research to advance treatment and improve our scientific understanding of the causes of heart attacks. Research on this topic is part of the NHLBIs broader commitment to advancing scientific discovery for heart and vascular diseases.

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What Causes Heart Attacks

The most common cause of a heart attack is coronary heart disease. This is where fatty deposits, cholesterol and other substances build up in the walls of the coronary arteries that supply oxygen to the heart. Over time, this build-up hardens into plaque that can break off at any time and cause a blood clot which blocks the artery.

In some cases, heart attacks have another cause:

• Coronary artery spasm is an unusual narrowing of blood vessels that can stop blood flow to the heart.
• Spontaneous coronary artery dissection is a sudden tear in the wall of a coronary artery, which can also affect people who have few risk factors for heart disease.

Certain lifestyle factors are shown to increase your chances of heart disease and having a heart attack.

Heart Disease In The United States

• Heart disease is the leading cause of death for men, women, and people of most racial and ethnic groups in the United States.1
• One person dies every 34 seconds in the United States from cardiovascular disease.1
• About 697,000 people in the United States died from heart disease in 2020thats 1 in every 5 deaths.1,2
• Heart disease cost the United States about $229 billion each year from 2017 to 2018.3 This includes the cost of health care services, medicines, and lost productivity due to death.

Coronary Artery Disease

• Coronary heart disease is the most common type of heart disease, killing 382,820 people in 2020.2
• About 20.1 million adults age 20 and older have CAD .2
• In 2020, about 2 in 10 deaths from CAD happen in adults less than 65 years old.2

Early Action Is Important for Heart Attack

• In the United States, someone has a heart attack every 40 seconds.2
• Every year, about 805,000 people in the United States have a heart attack.2 Of these,
• 605,000 are a first heart attack2
• 200,000 happen to people who have already had a heart attack2
• About 1 in 5 heart attacks are silentthe damage is done, but the person is not aware of it.2

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% Of The Hospital Visits Related To Snow Shoveling Are Due To Heart Problems Including Heart Attacks

In the US, around 100 men die during snow shoveling or after it. According to Cleveland Clinic, every year, over 11,000 people visit the hospital with injuries due to snow shoveling. To be more specific, shoveling snow heart attack statistics report that 7% of those people experience cardiac problems, and a substantial part of thema heart attack.

Heart Attack Information For Women

Although women often think of heart attack as something that usually affects men, heart disease is the number one killer of women in the United States.1 Every 100 seconds, a woman in the United States has a heart attack.2 Women having a heart attack wait longer before seeking help than men do3 one reason women tend to do worse after a heart attack than men.

The good news is that if you get help quickly, treatment can save your life and prevent permanent damage to your heart muscle. Treatment works best if given within one hour of when heart attack symptoms begin.

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What Are The Symptoms Of A Heart Attack

If you have any of the symptoms below, you could be having a heart attack. If symptoms are severe, get worse quickly, or last longer than 10 minutes, call triple zero immediately and ask for an ambulance. If calling triple zero does not work on your mobile try calling 112.

The most common symptoms of a heart attack include:

• chest pain pressure or tightness in the chest and arms that may spread to the jaw, neck or back
• shortness of breath or difficulty breathing

Women may experience different symptoms, such as:

• breathlessness and generally feeling unwell
• tightness or discomfort in the arms
• back pain or pressure

Heart attack symptoms differ from person to person. Some people experience no warning signs before a heart attack while others feel symptoms days or weeks in advance. Nearly 1 in 3 men and nearly 4 in 10 women who have heart attacks dont feel any chest pain at all. Chest pains may also come and go.

Women Are More Likely To Die After A Heart Attack6

In the past, women who had heart attacks waited longer to get help, compared to men. This is still true for women today who are younger than 55 and have heart attacks. Researchers don’t know all of the reasons why women often do worse after heart attack, but waiting to get help might be one of them.5

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A Yearly Flu Shot Can Benefit Your Heart

Did you know that for people with heart disease, getting a flu shot is particularly important? Heart disease can lower your bodys ability to fight the flu and increase your likelihood of developing serious complications such as heart attack, pneumonia and respiratory failure. Getting a yearly flu shot can help prevent complications from the infection and prevent your heart disease symptoms from worsening.

If you have heart disease, be sure to opt for the flu shot instead of the nasal spray vaccine. The nasal spray is not recommended for individuals with heart disease, as the spray contains a live version of the flu virus and has not been assessed for safety in people with heart conditions.

Causes Of Heart Disease And Risk Factors

Certain medical conditions and behaviors put people at higher risk for heart disease. The most significant risk factors for heart disease are prior heart or vascular disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, and smoking. About half of Americans have at least one of these three risk factors.

Other risk factors for heart disease include:

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How The Human Heart Functions

Every day, your heart beats about 100,000 times, sending 2,000 gallons of blood surging through your body. Although itâs no bigger than your fist, your heart has the mighty job of keeping blood flowing through the 60,000 miles of blood vessels that feed your organs and tissues. Any damage to the heart or its valves can reduce that pumping power, forcing the heart to work harder just to keep up with the bodyâs demand for blood.

So how do you make sure your heart is in tip-top shape? “Keeping your body in good health helps keep the heart a more efficient organ,” Krasuski advises. In other words, eat healthy, well-balanced meals and donât skimp on the exercise.

Surprising Facts About Heart Disease

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women in the United Statesaccounting for 40 percent of all deaths.

While you may be familiar with these statistics, there are some lesser-known facts about heart disease that you can use to reduce your risk of heart disease and cardiac events and to promote overall heart health. Below are six important facts about heart disease you should know.

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Facts About Heart Attacks

“The Healthy Geezer” answers questions about health and aging in his weekly column.

Question: What causes a heart attack?

Answer: A blood clot in a narrowed coronary artery is the usual cause of a heart attack. The clogged artery prevents oxygenated blood from nourishing the heart. This can lead to pain, the death of heart cells, scar tissue and fatal arrythmias.

There are a variety of causes that lead to the narrowing of arteries, which is called atherosclerosis. This, in turn, increases the likelihood of a heart attack.

The following are some of the leading causes of heart attacks:

Genetics, high cholesterol and triglycerides, smoking, high blood pressure , a sedentary lifestyle, obesity, diabetes, stress, excessive alcohol, saturated fat in your diet, age, gender and race.

More than eight out of ten people who die of coronary heart disease are 65 or older. Men are at greater risk than women of having a heart attack. African-Americans, Mexican-Americans and Native Americans are at higher risk of heart disease.

Question: What drugs are used to treat a heart attack?

Answer: Drugs that help dissolve clots blocking blood to your heart are lifesavers. These drugs are known as thrombolytics or clot-busters. The earlier you are given a clot-buster, the better.

A superaspirin is given with a clot-buster. The superaspirin prevents new clots from forming.

Nitroglycerin is used to open arteries, improving blood flow to and from your heart.

When Do I Do If Someone Else Has A Heart Attack

An easy-to-use device called an AED is available in many public places and can be used by almost anyone to treat cardiac arrest. This device works by shocking the heart back into a normal rhythm.

Hereâs how to use an AED:

1. Check responsiveness

• For an adult or older child, shout and shake the person to confirm whether theyâre unconscious. Do not use AED on a conscious person.
• For an infant or young child, pinch their skin. Never shake a young child.
• Check breathing and pulse. If absent or uneven, prepare to use the AED as soon as possible.

2. Prepare to use AED

• Make sure the person is in a dry area and away from puddles or water.
• Check for body piercings or outline of an implanted medical device, such as a pacemaker or implantable defibrillator.
• AED pads must be placed at least 1 inch away from piercings or implanted devices.

3. Use AED

For newborns, infants, and children up to age 8, use a pediatric AED, if possible. If not, use an adult AED.

• Turn on the AED.
• Plug in connector, if necessary.
• Make sure no one is touching the person.
• Push the âAnalyzeâ button.
• If a shock is advised, check again to make sure no one is touching the person.
• Push the âShockâ button.
• Start or resume continue compressions.
• Follow AED prompts.

4. Continue CPR

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