Coronary heart disease is America’s No. 1 killer. That’s why it’s important to know the warning signs of a heart attack as well as how to help keep yourself heart healthy. The American Heart Association (AHA) offers these guides for determining if a heart attack is happening:
- Discomfort in other areas of the body. Symptoms can include pain or discomfort in one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw or stomach.
- Shortness of breath. This feeling often comes along with chest discomfort. But it can occur before chest discomfort.
- Other signs. These may include breaking out in a cold sweat, nausea or lightheadedness.
- There are some risk factors for heart disease that cannot be changed — increasing age, male gender and heredity. However, other major risk factors for coronary heart disease can be modified or treated. They include:
- Smoking. Smokers’ risk of heart attack is more than twice that of nonsmokers. Cigarette smoking is the biggest risk factor for sudden cardiac death: smokers have two to four times the risk of nonsmokers.
- High blood cholesterol levels. The risk of coronary heart disease rises as blood cholesterol levels increase. When other risk factors such as high blood pressure and tobacco smoke are present, this risk increases even more.
- High blood pressure. High blood pressure increases the heart’s workload, causing the heart to enlarge and weaken over time.
- Physical inactivity. Lack of physical activity is a risk factor for heart disease. Regular, moderate-to-vigorous exercise plays a significant role in preventing heart and blood vessel disease.
- Obesity and overweight. People who have excess body fat are more likely to develop heart disease even if they have no other risk factors.
- Diabetes mellitus. Diabetes seriously increases the risk of developing cardiovascular disease.
- Stress and depression. Stress and depression cause an elevation of hormones that can raise blood pressure and cholesterol levels and also interfere with the heart’s normal rhythm.