Heart attacks are a leading cause of death worldwide, claiming millions of lives each year — including one in every five deaths in the U.S.1 Nearly half of all women and men are affected by heart attacks, making awareness of risk factors, symptoms, and prevention strategies a necessity to protect against potentially fatal outcomes.2
Identifying Key Risk Factors for Heart Attacks
The first step to protecting yourself from a heart attack is understanding your risk. Men are typically at higher risk than women, although a woman’s risk increases beyond a man’s risk once she reaches menopause. Risk factors for heart attacks can generally be categorized into two groups: uncontrollable and controllable.
Uncontrollable risk factors include:4
- Age: Men over 45 and women over 55 are at a higher risk.
- Family History: A family history of heart disease can increase your risk.
- Genetics: Some individuals may inherit predispositions to heart disease.
Fortunately, the majority of risk factors are lifestyle-related and, therefore, can be controlled.
Controllable risk factors include:4
- High blood pressure: Hypertension can damage arteries and lead to heart disease.
- High cholesterol levels: Elevated LDL cholesterol can lead to plaque buildup in arteries.
- Smoking: Tobacco use is a significant risk factor for heart disease.
- Diabetes: Poorly managed diabetes increases the risk of heart disease and heart attacks.
- Obesity: Excess weight contributes to several risk factors like hypertension and diabetes.
- Unhealthy diet: Diets high in saturated fats, trans fats, and sugars can lead to heart disease.
Recognizing the Symptoms of a Heart Attack
Understanding the signs of a heart attack can be lifesaving, especially when recognized early. The classic symptom of a heart attack is chest pain or discomfort that may radiate to the shoulder, arm, back, neck, or jaw. Other symptoms to recognize include:1
- Chest pain or discomfort, often described as a feeling of pressure, squeezing, fullness, or pain in the center or left side of the chest.
- Shortness of breath
- Other symptoms include nausea, lightheadedness, cold sweat, or pain in the arms, back, neck, jaw, or stomach.
Despite common signs, heart attack symptoms can vary significantly between individuals, especially between men and women. Men are more likely to experience classic symptoms like chest pain and shortness of breath, while women may experience subtler symptoms. Alongside chest pain, women may suffer from nausea, extreme fatigue, dizziness, and discomfort in the back, shoulders, and stomach. These differences could stem from hormonal influences, variations in heart anatomy, and differing responses to stress and pain.
(2024). About Heart Attack Symptoms, Risk, and Recovery. CDC.
Proactive Measures for Heart Attack Prevention
Heart attacks can happen without warning and can be fatal for more than 12% of people who experience them.5 As healthcare professionals continue to understand the complexities of heart disease, it’s become clear that prevention is our most powerful weapon.6
To safeguard against heart attacks, we advise everyone to follow these proactive measures:
- Stop smoking
- Undergo regular screenings for blood pressure, cholesterol, and glucose levels
- Eat a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, and healthy fats
- Engage in at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise per week
- Practice techniques like mindfulness, meditation, and yoga
At Great Falls Clinic Heart Center, our team is dedicated to improving heart health by providing state-of-the art, comprehensive cardiac services, including a thoughtful, multi-disciplinary approach to the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of heart disease. We tailor our approach to each patient, considering the unique risk factors that men and women face in their journey toward heart attack prevention. Book a consultation today to learn more about how the Great Falls Clinic team can help you protect your heart health and lower your risk for heart attacks.
Ready to schedule a consultation? We look forward to serving you.
Sources:
1. (2024, May 15). Heart Disease Facts. CDC. https://www.cdc.gov/heart-disease/data-research/facts-stats/?CDC_AAref_Val=https://www.cdc.gov/heartdisease/facts.htm
2. (2024, May 15). About Women and Heart Disease. CDC. https://www.cdc.gov/heart-disease/about/women-and-heart-disease.html
3. (2024, May 15). About Men and Heart Disease. CDC. https://www.cdc.gov/heart-disease/about/men-and-heart-disease.html
4. (2024, May 15). Heart Disease Risk Factors. CDC. https://www.cdc.gov/heart-disease/risk-factors/index.html
5. Krumholz HM, Normand ST, Wang Y. Twenty-Year Trends in Outcomes for Older Adults With Acute Myocardial Infarction in the United States. JAMA Netw Open. 2019;2(3):e191938. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2019.1938
6. Lifestyle Changes to Prevent a Heart Attack. AMA. https://www.heart.org/en/health-topics/heart-attack/life-after-a-heart-attack/lifestyle-changes-for-heart-attack-prevention