signs warning signs of heart attack
Afew heart attacks are sudden and intense, but most heart attacks start slowly, with mild pain or discomfort. Often people aren’t sure what’s wrong and wait too long before getting help. This is especially true for women. Here are some of the signs that can mean a heart attack is [...]

Chances are, you’re reading this book because you or someone close to you has heart disease. Perhaps your doctor has recently told you that you have a heart condition, and you’re looking for information on how to take good care of yourself. Perhaps you’ve known about your condition for some time and are interested in [...]

HYPERTENSION: UNSAFE AT ANY AGE
High blood pressure is more common with advancing age, and so are its associated complications, of stroke, kidney disease, heart attack, and heart failure. By the seventh decade of life, close to half of all Americans have hypertension, usually of unknown cause. (Chapter 12 presents a general discussion of the diagnosis [...]

Heart disease is a type of cardiovascular disease. In addition to heart disease, the term cardiovascular disease encompasses a variety of heart conditions, such as high blood pressure and stroke. Coronary heart disease (CHD) is caused by a narrowing of the coronary arteries, which results in a decreased supply of blood and oxygen to the [...]

The most common cause of cardiovascular disease is atherosclerosis (sometimes called “hardening” or “clogging” of the arteries). Atherosclerosis is the build-up of cholesterol and fatty deposits (called plaque) on the inner walls of the arteries that restricts blood flow to the heart.
Without adequate blood, the heart becomes starved of oxygen and the vital nutrients it [...]

Risk factors are conditions or habits that make a person more likely to develop a disease. They can also increase the chances that an existing disease will get worse. Certain risk factors for heart disease, such as getting older or having a family history of early heart disease, can’t be changed. But physical inactivity is [...]

This booklet explains why heart attacks and strokes happen and how you can avoid them. It tells you what you should do to avoid becoming a victim. It gives you guidance for your children too. A lot of the damage to the blood vessels starts at a young age. Children often need help to develop [...]

A coronary attack (heart attack) occurs when the blood flow to a part of the heart is blocked (often by a blood clot). This happens because coronary arteries that supply the heart with blood slowly become thicker and harder from a buildup of fat, cholesterol and other substances, called plaque.
If the plaque breaks open and [...]

What are the Warning Signs of Heart Attack and Stroke?
Warning Signs of Heart Attack:
Some heart attacks are sudden and intense, but most of them start slowly with mild pain or discomfort with one or more of these symptoms:
Chest discomfort
Discomfort in other areas of the upper body
Shortness of breath with or without chest discomfort
Other signs including [...]

The normal human heart has two major coronary arteries, so named because, together with their branches, they surround the heart like a crown (or corona). From its branch off the aorta, the left main coronary artery quickly divides into two vessels: the left anterior descending artery and the circumflex artery. Another vessel, the right coronary [...]

Anxiety about heart attack:
There are things you can do to reduce your risk of a heart attack.
If you have had a heart attack, you can do things to increase your chance of survival if you have another one.
Most people survive heart attacks.
New drugs and treatments are effective.
It is important not to delay getting help.
Quick treatment [...]

Heart disease is the #1 killer of American women.
More than one in five women have some form of cardiovascular disease.
459,841 people died in 1998 from heart attacks and other heart related events—almost half of those victims were women.
One out of three women compared with one out of four men will die within one year after [...]