| The Facts about Heart Attacks
A heart attack occurs about every 20 seconds with a heart attack death about every minute.
Almost 14 million Americans have a history of heart attack or angina.
About 50% of deaths occur within one hour of the heart attack ––outside a hospital. Even among those who survive
long enough to reach the hospital, there is a 6 percent to 9 percent early mortality rate.
Costs related to heart attack exceed $60 billion per year.
A heart attack occurs when a heart muscle has reduced blood flow. Sometimes when plaque inside
heart arteries breaks open or ruptures, a clot then can form that blocks blood flow through the
artery. Plaque is made up of cholesterol, white blood cells, calcium, and other components and
is surrounded by a thin layer of cells. Different factors, including high blood pressure, can cause
the capillary to tear or rupture. Cholesterol then leaks out the tear and mixes with blood in the
artery and a clot is formed. This blood clot in an artery can sometimes obstruct blood flow to the
heart muscle, which causes the heart attack.
Some of the most common symptoms of a heart attack are:
- Uncomfortable pressure, fullness, squeezing, or pain in the center of the chest that lasts more than a few minutes or that goes away and comes back
- Pain or discomfort that radiates to other areas of the upper body (e.g., one or both arms, shoulders, back, neck, jaw, or abdomen)
- Shortness of breath (may occur prior to chest pain, may accompany it, or may occur without it)
- Lightheadedness or fainting (may occur with or without chest pain)
- Cold sweat or paleness (may occur with or without chest pain)
- Clamminess
- Nausea (may occur with or without chest pain)
- Indigestion
- Intense sweating
- Unexplained anxiety, weakness or fatigue
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