Heart Attack Information

Overview

The 2007 statistics on heart attacks listed heart disease as the leading cause of death, with an estimated 1.2 million reported heart attacks that year.

Heart attacks are more likely to be severe in women. The number of men who die of heart attack is less than the deaths in women after a heart attack, though the exact reasons for this are unclear. Some experts think it's because women have a longer life span. Others speculate that since heart attack warning signs are more unrecognizable in women, it's harder to treat female patients of heart attack. Statistics show that women are usually stricken in old age.

Information about heart attacks and prevention is the best ways to avoid heart problems because you can learn to recognize some of the most common warning signs including:

• Chest pain that radiates down the arm.
• Sweating, nausea or vomiting (sometimes two or three at once).
• Numbness that radiates down the arm, usually the left arm
• Pain or tightness in the neck and jaw.
• Pain in the upper back, at the level of the heart.
• A crushing feeling in the chest, as if a large weight is upon it.
• Difficulty breathing.
• Lightheadedness.

These symptoms should prompt you to get emergency medical care.

Recognizing the warning signs of a heart attack is important, but it's also important to understand your risk of heart attack. Heredity plays a huge part as well. If you have relatives who have had heart attacks, whether or not the attacks were fatal, you're at a higher risk for having an attack. Another interesting heart attack statistic is age. Most people who suffer heart attacks are older, but young people can still have and die of an attack. In fact, heart attacks are present across every age group.

Other factors can be somewhat controlled by diet. If you compare people with high cholesterol and heart problems, there seems to be a correlation. Statistics show that some levels of cholesterol are a factor in heart disease. High blood sugar levels lead to high levels of insulin in the blood, which can damage arteries and increase your risk of heart problems.

Resources

You should read more information about heart attacks so that you are aware of the warning signs. Check out the following websites for more resources:

• American Heart
• Heart Attack Central
• Cardiology Channel