A heart attack or stroke can happen within seconds. Getting treatment fast for these medical emergencies can mean the difference between life and death or disability. But do you know the symptoms of these dangerous events? And do you know if you’re at risk for having one?
More than 1.5 million people have a heart attack or stroke every year in the U.S. Heart attack happens when blood flow to the heart gets blocked, most commonly by a blood clot. Stroke happens when blood flow to the brain gets disrupted. The most common type of stroke is caused by a blood clot stuck in a blood vessel that feeds the brain. Stroke can also be caused by a blood vessel in the brain that breaks open and bleeds into nearby tissue.
“Early treatment is key to improving your chances of survival,” says Dr. Gina Wei, a heart-health expert at NIH. Treatment may include either rapidly dissolving or removing the clot to open up the blocked blood vessel. For some heart attack cases, emergency surgery is used to redirect blood flow around the blockage.
Getting help immediately can save a life and reduce damage to the heart or brain. Less damage to these vital organs can also mean less disability afterward, and a faster recovery, explains Dr. Clinton Wright, a neurologist and stroke researcher at NIH. So it’s important to be on alert for symptoms of a heart attack or stroke for both yourself and the people around you. Every minute matters.
Know the Symptoms, Act Fast
The most common symptoms of a heart attack are pain, heaviness, or discomfort in the center or left side of your chest. But they’re not the only symptoms. Women are more likely than men to have other symptoms, like pain or numbness in the left arm.
Some people may also feel a rapid or irregular heartbeat. Others feel pain or discomfort in one or both arms, the back, shoulders, neck, jaw, or above the belly button. You may also feel short of breath or suddenly sweat a lot for no apparent reason. Rarer symptoms include feeling extremely tired for no reason, nausea and vomiting, and dizziness.
For stroke, the most common symptoms are facial drooping, arm weakness, and trouble speaking. “There can also be a sudden loss of balance or coordination, or sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes,” Wright says.
If you or anyone around you has these symptoms, call 9-1-1 immediately. Don’t wait. Treatment can start in an ambulance on the way to the hospital. This helps improve the odds of survival and recovery. Don’t drive yourself to the ER or ask someone to drive you. It may delay treatment.
Other health conditions can mimic symptoms of a heart attack and stroke. “But it’s better to be safe than sorry,” Wei says. “Call an ambulance to go to the ER and get checked out.”
Are You At Risk?
Most heart attacks and strokes happen in people who have certain risk factors (see the Wise Choices box). If you know your risk, you can be on the lookout for symptoms. You can also take steps to lower that risk.
One major risk factor for heart attack is high cholesterol in the blood. High cholesterol can also increase the risk for stroke. Cholesterol can build up on the walls of blood vessels, causing plaques. If a plaque breaks open, a blood clot can form. But cholesterol isn’t the only contributor to this process.
Dr. Paul Ridker from Harvard University is working to understand the role of inflammation in heart disease. His research has shown that high cholesterol and inflammation work together to increase heart-attack risk. “Heart disease involves both accumulation of cholesterol and an inflammatory fire lighting the match underneath it all,” he says.
In a recent study, his team measured inflammation using a test called hsCRP as well as blood cholesterol in women in their 30s. Women with high levels of inflammation had a higher risk of heart attack or stroke later in life than those who only had high cholesterol.
“Get these things measured,” Ridker advises. Knowing your numbers “can give you an opportunity to start prevention much earlier in life,” he says.
Hypertension, or high blood pressure, is another important risk factor for stroke and heart attack. High blood pressure has no symptoms. So you may not know you have it.
You can check your blood pressure at home with automatic cuff monitors. These are available at all major pharmacies. Measuring your blood pressure at home if you have hypertension and getting your cholesterol checked by your doctor regularly can help you assess your health risk. Your doctor can advise you on how to lower your risk based on your blood pressure and cholesterol numbers.
