Coronary heart disease is
America's
No. 1 killer. Stroke is No. 3 and a leading
cause of serious disability. Each year about
one million Americans experience a heart
attack. But what’s critical to you as a woman
is that it isn’t just a man's disease. The
percentage of women suffering from heart
attacks is increasing everyday.
What can a woman do about it?
You can do a lot to help protect yourself from
a heart attack. You should learn how to become
more aware of signs and symptoms; when in
doubt arrange quickly for a check-up with your
primary care physician, and ask him/her if
your signs and symptoms warrant a referral to
a heart specialist. Heart specialists are
likely to have the right screening equipment
and personnel as well as up-to-date
treatments. Research shows that most people
who have had a heart attack survive.
Heart attack – What is it?
A heart attack occurs when the blood supply to
part of the heart muscle itself -- the
myocardium -- is severely reduced or stopped.
The medical term for heart attack is
myocardial infarction. The reduction or
stoppage happens when one or more of the
coronary arteries supplying blood to the heart
muscle is blocked. This is usually caused by
the buildup of plaque (deposits of fat-like
substances), a process called atherosclerosis.
The plaque can eventually burst, tear or
rupture, creating a "snag" where a blood clot
forms and blocks the artery. This leads to a
heart attack. A heart attack is also sometimes
called a coronary thrombosis or coronary
occlusion. If the blood supply is cut off for
more than a few minutes, muscle cells suffer
permanent injury and die. This can kill or
disable someone, depending on how much heart
muscle is damaged.
Your lifestyle can be your enemy.
A woman’s overall lifestyle — your eating
habits, frequency of exercise and how you
handle stress — plays a very important role in
keeping you from having a heart attack. A
healthy lifestyle can also help to prevent
subsequent heart attacks. The combination of
good eating, exercise and controlling stress
can keep the arteries from narrowing and
cutting the supply of blood to your heart.
What are heart spasms?
At times a coronary artery temporarily
contracts or goes into spasm. When this
happens, the artery narrows and blood flow to
part of the heart muscle decreases or stops.
Doctors are not sure what causes a spasm. A
spasm can occur in normal-appearing blood
vessels as well as in vessels partly blocked
by atherosclerosis – deposits of
fatty substances or fibrous tissues in the
inner layer of an artery. A severe spasm can
cause a heart attack.
Warning Signs of a Heart Attack
Act in Time!
The American Heart Association and the
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute have
launched a new "Act in Time" campaign to
increase people's awareness of heart
attack and the importance of calling
9-1-1
immediately at the onset of heart attack
symptoms. Find the links here.
Heart attack and stroke are life-and-death
emergencies.
Every second counts.
If you see or have any of the listed symptoms,
immediately call
9-1-1.
Not all these signs occur in every heart
attack or stroke. And sometimes they go away
and return. If any occur, get help fast! Today
heart attack and stroke victims can benefit
from new medications and treatments
unavailable to patients in years past. For
example, clot-busting drugs can stop some
heart attacks and strokes in progress,
reducing disability and saving lives. But to
be effective, these drugs must be given
quickly after heart attack or stroke symptoms
first appear. So again, don't delay -- get
help right away!
Stroke Warning Signs
The American Stroke Association says these are
the warning signs of stroke:
· Sudden numbness or weakness of the
face, arm or leg, especially on one side of
the body
· Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or
understanding
· Sudden trouble seeing in one or both
eyes
· Sudden trouble walking, dizziness,
loss of balance or coordination
· Sudden, severe headache with no known
cause
Cardiac arrest strikes immediately and without
warning.
Here are more signs:
• Sudden loss of responsiveness. No
response to gentle shaking
• No normal breathing. The victim does not
take a normal breath when you
check for several seconds.
• No signs of circulation. No movement or
coughing.
Dial
9-1-1
Fast.
If cardiac arrest occurs, call
9-1-1
and begin CPR immediately. If an automated
external defibrillator (AED) is available and
someone trained to use it is nearby, involve
them.
What to do immediately?
If you or someone you're with has chest
discomfort, especially with one or more of the
other signs, don't wait longer than a few
minutes (no more than 5) before calling for
help. Call
9-1-1...
Get to a hospital right away.
Calling
9-1-1
Calling
9-1-1
is almost always the fastest way to get
lifesaving treatment. Emergency medical
services staff can begin treatment when they
arrive––up to an hour sooner than if someone
gets to the hospital by car. The staff is also
trained to revive someone whose heart has
stopped. Patients with chest pain who arrive
by ambulance receive much faster treatment at
the hospital, too.
If you can’t reach the EMS
If you can't access the nearest Emergency
Medical Services (EMS), have someone drive you
to the hospital right away. If you're the one
having symptoms, don't drive yourself, unless
you have absolutely no other option. Check the
time so you'll know when the first symptoms
appeared. It's very important to take
immediate action. If given within three hours
of the start of symptoms, a clot-busting drug
can reduce long-term disability for the most
common type of stroke.
Medicines are very important, too.
Taking your medicine on time and as prescribed
is crucial. And you must also follow the
guidelines recommended by your health care
providers, too. Never miss an appointment or
take any prescription beyond its expiration
date.
Links:
American Heart Association
www.americanheart.org
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
www.nhlbi.nih.gov
