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Heart Disease Facts
MINUTES MATTER
Someone has a heart attack every 40 seconds!
The heart works 24 hours a day, pumping oxygen-rich blood to the body. When too little blood reaches the heart, the condition is called ischemia. Chest pain or angina, may occur.
Heart Disease Symptoms
Thanks to more education about healthy eating and advancements in treatment, fewer people die of heart disease than in the past. That said, clogged heart arteries are still the number one cause of death in the United States.
Click here for symptoms that might be worth a chat with your doctor.
Risk Factors
Several health conditions, your lifestyle, your age, and family history can increase your risk of heart disease. These are called risk factors. About half of all Americans (47%) have at least one of the three key risk factors for heart disease: high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and smoking.
Some of the risk factors for heart disease cannot be controlled, such as your age or family history. But you can take steps to lower your risks by changing the factors you can control.
Learn more about heart disease risk factors:
You Might Be Having a Heart Attack!
Don't delay getting medical help if you experience any of these heart attack warning signs. Some heart attacks are sudden and intense, but most start slowly, with mild pain or discomfort. Call 911 if you feel:
Chest discomfort. Most heart attacks involve discomfort in the center of the chest that lasts more than a few minutes, or that goes away and comes back. It can feel like uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, fullness, or pain.
Discomfort in other areas of the upper body. Symptoms can include pain or discomfort in one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw, or stomach.
Shortness of breath with or without chest pain.
Other signs. May include breaking out in a cold sweat, nausea, or lightheadedness.
Heart Disease Prevention
A heart attack is a scary condition which affects 735,000 Americans each year, according to the CDC. Heart attack, or myocardial infarction, occurs when there is not enough blood flow to the heart due to narrowed or blocked arteries. Arteries become blocked when there is buildup of fat, cholesterol, or other substances which form plaque.
The heart muscle becomes permanently damaged by a heart attack, and often, it can be fatal. Symptoms of heart attack include pressure, tightness, pain, or a squeezing sensation in the chest, arms, jaw or back; nausea, indigestion or heart burn; shortness of breath; cold sweat, fatigue; or lightheadedness or sudden dizziness. The good news is, there are many things you can do to reduce the risk of heart attack.
9 Tips to Prevent a Heart Attack
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