Heart disease is a leading cause of death for both men and women in the United States. Not only is heart disease largely preventable, but awareness and information related to this topic is lifesaving. Here’s what you need to know!
American Heart Month
“February is American Heart Month, a nationwide observance that spotlights cardiovascular disease and the need for more lifesavers. First proclaimed in 1964 by President Lyndon B. Johnson, American Heart Month began as a national call to take charge of your health – a mission that continues today.” –American Heart Association
Key Aspects of American Heart Month
American Heart Month is a significant month-long awareness campaign that emphasizes four main goals:
- Raising awareness – Learn basic facts about the heart and the campaign.
- Encouraging preventative lifestyles – Discover lifestyle choices that can help prevent heart disease.
- Recognizing symptoms – Understand the warning signs and symptoms associated with heart disease and heart attacks.
- Teaching life-saving skills like CPR – Learn important emergency response skills that can save lives during cardiac events.
Heart Disease in America
Heart disease is common in America and affects many people directly or indirectly. According to FDA.gov, heart disease refers to several conditions that affect the heart. In the United States alone, more than 1 in 10 adults, or approximately 30 million, have heart disease. Take note: Heart disease is the leading cause of death for people of most racial and ethnic groups (responsible for about 1 in 4 deaths). People at higher risk for heart attacks include those with high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, or unhealthy lifestyles. Heart attacks are a sudden and sometimes fatal condition, often caused by coronary artery disease. In these cases, time is crucial. Recognizing heart attack symptoms enables fast response and access to lifesaving assistance.
Wearing Red
National Wear Red Day is the first Friday in February. People wear red to raise awareness that heart disease is a largely preventable leading cause of death in the U.S. It also encourages people to contribute towards education and cures, live healthfully, and know how to recognize symptoms of a heart attack to act fast.
Recognizing the Symptoms of a Heart Attack
Medical experts at Mayo Clinic explain that a heart attack occurs when heart disease has progressed to the point where blood stops flowing to the heart muscle. The blockage is usually due to a buildup of fat, cholesterol and other substances in the heart (coronary) arteries. The fatty cholesterol-containing deposits are called plaques, and the process of plaque buildup is called atherosclerosis. Sometimes, plaque can rupture and form a clot that blocks blood flow. A lack of blood flow can damage or destroy part of the heart muscle.
Warning Signs of a Heart Attack
Common signs of a heart attack include chest discomfort, which may feel like squeezing, pressure, or pain. For men, chest pain is typically the first sign, but this discomfort can be mild and might not be perceived as pain, which can make it challenging to identify a heart attack. Additionally, symptoms can differ between men and women. Understanding these differences and associated symptoms is essential for quick response and treatment.
Recognizing other symptoms
In addition to chest discomfort or pain, symptoms that can signal a heart attack include shortness of breath, nausea, sweating, and particularly for women, pain in the back, neck, or jaw. Affected individuals may struggle to catch their breath, feel anxious, experience irregular heart rhythms, or become fatigued, dizzy, or faint. These symptoms may indicate blood vessels that have narrowed. According to Healthline, “This narrowing, which can be caused by plaque buildup, makes it more difficult for your heart to circulate oxygenated blood throughout your body.”
Why are symptoms serious?
Symptoms of heart attack should not be taken lightly. As previously stated, heart disease is the leading cause of death in the U.S., with one cardiovascular-related death every 34 seconds. Both men and women are at risk; therefore, annual checkups, monitoring risk factors, and treating heart conditions are essential. Research shows men develop significant heart disease about seven years earlier than women, beginning around age 35. Researchers are currently searching for reasons. But one thing is clear, heart disease often develops gradually, so maintaining heart health should be part of everyone’s wellness plan.
Know your numbers
Adults, especially those over 30, should routinely monitor blood pressure, glucose, and cholesterol. The National Institute on Aging notes that aging can alter the heart and blood vessels, raising the risk of related health issues. Regular checks help detect early changes and potential problems, even in healthy individuals. People may not realize that their numbers are off, and signs of early-stage heart disease may not be noticeable. Therefore, testing is key to discovery.
Your doctor, your partner in health
Consult your doctor for heart health advice and ask which tests are needed. Common initial tests include blood pressure checks and cholesterol screenings. Additional diagnostics may involve ECG/EKG for electrical activity, chest x-rays for visible issues, blood tests for markers, and echocardiograms to image the heart. These procedures are typically painless and provide important insights. Talk to your doctor about what’s right for you.
Influence of lifestyle choices
There are many steps people can take to maintain healthy hearts. Here are some examples as provided by NIH’s National Institute on Aging.
- Stay physically active. Exercise helps to keep your heart strong but talk to your doctor to learn what’s right for you.
- If you smoke, quit. Smoking is known to cause damage to artery walls as well as cancer.
- Follow a heart-healthy diet. Diets rich in healthy foods like fruits, veggies, low proteins, and high fiber are beneficial for the heart. Avoid/reduce unhealthy saturated fat and excess sugar and salt in the diet.
- Maintain healthy weight. Limit portion sizes to balance calories eaten with calories burned and get regular exercise to include resistance training.
- Limit alcohol intake. Alcohol consumption can exacerbate negative health conditions.
- Manage stress. Use resources to reduce/manage stress that negatively impacts your physical and/or emotional wellbeing.
- Get enough sleep. Adequate quality sleep is key, as science shows it can help reduce risk of heart disease.
Learning lifesaving techniques
Educate yourself so that you know what to do if someone’s having a heart attack.
Here’s the standard practice if an adult has a heart attack. Be aware that standard practices are subject to change, so visit reliable websites like the Red Cross and the American Heart Association for up-to-date information.
- Stay calm and keep the person (patient) seated.
- IMMEDIATELY CALL 9-1-1 and provide the address and information requested.
- People experiencing symptoms of heart attack and without allergy should chew aspirin if medically recommended.
- If they become unresponsive and stop breathing, begin adult CPR immediately (100 to 120 beats/min.) and/or use an AED if available. People untrained in CPR should do hands-only CPR. Per Mayo Clinic, “That means push hard and fast on the person’s chest. Do this about 100 to 120 times a minute. If you’re trained in CPR and confident in your ability, start with 30 chest compressions before giving two rescue breaths.” AEDs come with voice instructions that explain step by step what to do. These devices are programmed to give a shock to individuals in distress.
Note that most fatal heart attacks occur within the first two hours of symptoms.
About CPR
Per American Red Cross, “CPR should be used when you see someone who is unresponsive and is not breathing or only gasping. Having more bystanders trained in this simple skill can help save lives by putting more cardiac victims within a few steps of lifesaving assistance.” If a person stops breathing and loses their pulse, CPR (Cardiopulmonary resuscitation) can help preserve brain function and maintain circulation until spontaneous breathing and heartbeat are restored.
Why is calling emergency services important?
Calling 9-1-1 connects you to help faster in most instances, and is likely safer than driving to a hospital. Therefore, among the first actions people need to take is to call for help.
Safety counts
Before assisting anyone, check the scene for safety (other life-threatening conditions) and use personal protective equipment if necessary. Also, check the person’s responsiveness ahead of performing CPR. Patients should be on a safe firm flat surface (if possible) and on their back to begin.
Three methods
There are three methods (two involving CPR) that can be used to save unresponsive adults:
- Hands-only CPR: Hands-only CPR is easy to perform and involves chest compressions without rescue breathing.
- CPR with rescue breathing: This involves combinations of chest compressions and rescue breathing.
- AED (Automated External Defibrillator) This device is used to deliver shocks to reestablish heart rhythm.
Buying time
Cardiac arrest can happen anywhere at any time. Learning CPR buys time while help is on the way. Knowing how to do CPR provides confidence to act when needed – and prompt action is critical to saving lives. Check out this American Red Cross link detailing How to Perform CPR on Adults.
Learning CPR for infants
It’s a smart idea to get acquainted with CPR for infants and small children. For infants, CPR is performed using the thumbs or fingers, whereas for adults, it is performed with two hands.
Our story
Personal note: As the spouse of someone who survived a serious widow maker heart attack, time for action is of essence. Here are five important takeaways from our personal experience.
1) Don’t hesitate – call an ambulance straight away. My spouse reported concerning symptoms including nausea, anxiety, and chest pressure but not necessarily pain. He insisted we not call an ambulance, which in hindsight was a mistake. He did visit urgent care and was taken by ambulance to the hospital where he got lifesaving surgery after being brought back to life.
2) Take your health seriously. You only have one life, and it’s up to you to do your best to live well by eating right, exercising regularly, avoiding poor behaviors that can make you sick, knowing your family history, and visiting your doctor regularly for screenings. People often think, “It can’t happen to me.” But it can. By taking good care of yourself, you can generally help boost health outcomes.
3) Learn lifesaving CPR. Though in our case we didn’t perform CPR, it’s a useful skill to have given that heart attacks are common. However, the hospital worked nonstop on my husband to revive him ahead of rushing him to surgery. Remember that CPR saves lives and increases survival rates.
4) Learn and share information. Learn from reliable medical health resources like the American Heart Association, Johns Hopkins, Mayo Clinic, Healthline, WebMD, or government health organizations to include National Institutes of Health (NIH), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and World Health Organization (WHO). Additionally, lean on your doctor for personal advice.
5) Trust in God. I’m not a person who typically witnesses miracles, but what happened to my spouse was just that. Despite having no pulse or heartbeat for over 30 minutes – and being told by a doctor that there was no hope – he survived! We are eternally grateful to God and His blessing and for the wonderful people in the ER who relentlessly worked on my spouse without giving up, and to the doctors who skillfully performed surgery to save his life. Medical staff who visited following his heart attack called my spouse, “The Miracle Patient,” and rightly so as we acknowledge the presence of God throughout the experience.
Interested in a CPR class? Visit the American Red Cross to find a CPR/AED/First Aid class online or near you.
Disclosure: This article is purely informational and is not medically reviewed. It is not intended as a medical resource or as a substitute for professional medical advice. Please consult your doctor for personal health guidance.
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