Heart attacks are actually myocardial infarctions — which means lack or interruption in the blood supply to the heart. Such a lack of blood supply can eventually kill or cause heavy attack. The other amazing heart attack statistics is that more than three million people suffer from coronary disease and every year almost one million suffer heart attacks.

The symptoms of heart attack are chest pain, palpitations, nausea, vomiting, sweating and anxiety. These symptoms occur suddenly. The symptoms differ from men and women. Women experience symptoms like shortness of breath fatigue and pain in the back.

The other type of heart attack is silent heart attack. Here there are no symptoms in a normal heart attack like sweating and chest pain. A silent heart attack can be detected only through an ECG.

Heart Attack in US

The statistics for heart attacks are alarming almost fourteen million Americans suffer from Angina and death occurs within one hour of heart attack. There is a fall in the heart attack cases from 1983 to 1993 by about thirty per cent with no decline in the heart attack cases among women.

Studies have also revealed that heart attack is common on Monday mornings and on Saturday mornings.

Statistics of Men

Heart attacks and disease are the common cause of death for men in US according to Heart attack statistics. Almost 3 million men have died f the disease in 2006. It has almost killed 26% of the men who had the attack. The disease is prevalent in almost all racial and ethnic groups like African Americans, American Indians, Hispanics, and whites. While for Asian American men heart attacks are second killers when compared to cancer.

Heart Attack Statistics among Women

It has been noticed that heart disease is a chief killer among women in US. The main reason for the increase in death rates is due to change in lifestyle and diet. These changes have lead to an increase in the health issues among the population.

Heart attack statistics say that there are one and half million heart attacks in US every year. Out of this nearly five hundred thousand deaths are caused. Every twenty second a heart attack occurs and every minute a person dies of it. It is the cause of sudden death among women.

The mortality rate among women who have heart attack is higher than that of men. Women above the age of 50 are more prone to die to heart attack than men.

Statistics related to risk factors and causes

Heart Attack statistics have revealed that the main cause of heart attack is high blood pressure and diabetes. The main risk factors have been use of nicotine and smoking. The control of the risk factors is known to considerably reduce the heart attacks and deaths arising out of it.

Heart Attacks being a major health risk among the great number of population it becomes essential to control and limit the disease.

Out of all the other uses, the most important use of aspirin is for the heart patients. It is used for controlling the clot formation. Therefore, it checks the causing of blockage and control hindrance in the blood flow.

When platelets bind together they form clot, the aspirin disturbs this formation thus preventing the clot formation. Although aspirin is very useful for heart patients but there are certain contraindications and side-effects that are mandatory to be looked upon and discussed with your consultant before starting the aspirin intake.

Aspirin and heart attacks may have a beneficial relation but it can be hazardous if not dealt carefully as aspirin can cause gastritis, gastrointestinal bleeding, allergic reactions, and hemorrhagic conditions in brain or other viscera. Aspirin could cause stroke due to bleeding. Those who are allergic to aspirin may undergo shock and it sometimes also cause certain childhood disease, Ryes syndrome if it is given during some viral diseases. Aspirin must not be taken in stroke as clot is not the only reason for stroke, sometimes stroke can also happen due to ruptured vessels and aspirin administration can cause potential damage to the condition.

Aspirin is very beneficial for people already had an attack, unstable angina, stable angina, after by pass surgery or even the healthy men after the age of 40 and healthy female after the age of 65 who have faced the risk factors but their blood pressure are controlled, this reduces the chances of getting heart disease.

All the above mentioned cases must be given aspirin in low dose i.e. 81mg/day.

Aspirin and heart attacks are closely related. Aspirin reduces the chances of heart attacks or avoids the recurrent attacks and reduces the severity of disease if taken immediately on the onset of the symptoms.

Chewable aspirin is of greater advantage then regular as it absorbs faster thus giving immediate effects. While talking aspirin and heart attacks connection, the dose of aspirin must be kept in mind. For headache or other purpose the dose of aspirin is near about 300mg while for heart patients the daily dose must be within 75 to 81mg per day.

While studying all about aspirin and heart attacks, one must be well aware of the contraindications of aspirin administration. Special consideration should be given to those who are allergic to ibuprofen, patient with asthma must also be cautious of aspirin use. Administration of aspirin in dengue is contraindicated as it increases the bleeding tendency similarly in hemophilia. Since aspirin reduces the excretion of uric acid, patients suffering from renal problems must avoid aspirin intake. Children and adolescence must not be given aspirin for common cold and fever as it can cause Reye’s syndrome which is an illness characterized by encephalopathy and fatty lever.

There is plaque formation in the arteries which causes the blockage of the arteries thus restricting the blood flow. The plaque is usually lipid i.e. cholesterol and white blood cells. If the tissues are left without the blood supply it ultimately causes damage or cell death known as infarction. The plaque formation is not an immediate process but it is slow and gradual and is an after effect of fatty meal which is high in cholesterol and saturated fats.

The general signs and symptoms include chest discomfort or chest pain, feeling of restlessness, and discomfort in the upper body, one or, both the hands, jaw or stomach, breathlessness, nausea and vomiting.

The risk factors to cause heart attack are old age, increased quantity of low density lipoprotein and decreased quantity of high density lipoprotein, diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity, drug abuse, alcoholism and high chronic stress level.

The only way to escape a heart attack is to check the risk factors. Cardiac rehabilitation is very important to increase life expectancy after heart attack. There is no real measurement of the life expectancy after heart attack. As it depends upon person to person of how they take their lives after an attack. Some people die within a year of having an attack, while some live long productive lives without second attack. So, life expectancy after heart attack depends upon the alternation in your lifestyle. As heart attack is considered as lifestyle disorder it can be treated if you manage your way of living.

To increase life expectancy after heart attack, consider the following tips:-

* Stop taking diet high on cholesterol level and eat healthy and balanced diet
* Quit smoking and tobacco intake
* Give up the use of drugs and alcohol, they both are slow poison which eat up your soul
* Keep a close eye on your blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol levels
* Learn the art of stress and anger management

Life expectancy after heart attack can also be increased by regular and proper medication. Use of aspirin and other such drugs which reduce the formation of blood clot are helpful for patients, high at risk. There are some drugs known as lipid lowering drugs, they manage your cholesterol level thus prevent the formation of plaque and prevents blockage.

Beta blockers are used to reduce the risk factors in high risk patient such as diabetes and patients with high blood pressure. To control blood pressure ACE inhibitors are generally given.

One of the major reasons for heart attack is depression and mental stress. So, if you really want to increase the life expectancy after heart attack you must regulate your stress level. There are various facilities ranging from medication to group therapy and stress management program for your help. These facilities fall under cardiac rehabilitation program.

The first reason for heart attack is the genetic mutation that affects the liver in such a way that it becomes ineffective at removing cholesterol from the blood. This results in very high level of cholesterol in the blood and damage coronary vessels. This may happen at very early age and can cause a heart attack as less blood is transmitted to heart. The second reason is a condition called hypertrophic cardiac myopathy. This is the stage where the heart muscles are grown too much that the ventricles or the empty areas of heart become very small and the heart cannot pump enough blood which causes a heart attack. People find it astonishing and ask that is it real that can teenagers have heart attacks.

Other studies have shown that the teenagers who are very obese are more prone to get heart attacks at the young age because of the high cholesterol levels. Some risk factors are curable, avoidable and can be modified. Theses factors are as follows:

* High Blood Pressure
* Obesity
* High cholesterol
* Smoking
* Physical Inactivity

High Blood Pressure: A fewer number of children in United States of America are suffering from high blood pressure. It is advisable to get the children checked-up for high blood pressures regularly.

Obesity: Obese people have high chances for getting heart attacks. Researches have shown that in United States of America 16% to 33% children are obese which results in other obesity-related issues such as diabetes and heart- problems.

High cholesterol: It has been found in some children that they have high cholesterol levels. This is not very common in children. However, in order to prevent them, you must suggest them to get a plenty of exercise. Light meals are also helpful in bringing the cholesterol down. You must encourage them for controlling weight and daily exercise. This would avoid the questions to arise like can teenagers have heart attacks.

Smoking: Smoking is considered to be one of the causes of heart attacks among children. More than 90,000 people die because of the heart attacks caused by smoking. The more a person smokes, more are the chances for getting heart attacks.

Physical Inactivity: People who do not exercise regularly have the highest chances for getting heart attacks. Due to the lack of physical exercise, there are other risks involved such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol and obesity. One must exercise daily in order to live a healthy life. Exercises lowers the cholesterol levels, blood pressures and obesity is also controlled with regular exercise. This also reduces the stress levels.

By taking above mentioned measures, one may reduce the chances for heart attacks at younger age and let the percentage of teenagers lessened, for getting heart attacks. People still doubt that can teenagers have heart attacks. The above points explain well that how can they get trapped in the chains of heart issues.

A regular visit for the check up from a doctor can help you to get preventions and more awareness about heart diseases. You should also make your doctor aware about the family history of heart diseases, if any. A doctor can help you in checking the cholesterol levels, blood pressure variations, detect other problems or give you information about glutathione in your body. Prevention and carefulness are important than treatment for a heart attack.

In case, your doctor finds the commencement of a heart attack, there are chances to look forward for treatment for a heart attack, which may be suitable to the patient at that point of time. The common medications may include aspirin regimen, beta blockers and blood thinning or anti clotting medicines. In case, medicines do not work, medical procedures become a part for treatment of heart attack. This may include coronary artery bypass grafting or angioplasty. There is a need to follow up with the doctors for prevention of another attack or any such occurrence again.

You can make your routine diet in such a way to prevent any probability for heart attacks. Regular exercises, maintaining a balanced diet and keeping a check on weight can prevent many diseases. It can even lead to live a longer life. Heart muscles have to be exercised well for proper functioning. Regular exercise helps in recovering a person, who already had an attack. A regular walk for 20-30 minutes in a day can keep your heart healthy and secured.

A right diet is most important factor for reduction of risk for heart attack. The diet needs to be free from cholesterol and saturated fats as these things can narrow the heart arteries. You need to include a lot of fruits and vegetables in your diet. The management of stress and avoiding things like smoking and limiting the liquor consumption can help in prevention and treatment for a heart attack.

Glutathione is the main factor, which has affect on your overall health and is a big factor in prevention and treatment of many diseases. Glutathione is a protein, which is produced in our liver and affects metabolism and immune system. This is highly essential in protection from heart attacks and you can get the best solutions for your problem related to heart issues. Heart attack is a deadly disease, which have put many people under problems. Prevention is always better than cure and it is recommended to take measures for preventing heart attack.

American Heart Association acclaims that CHD (Coronary Heart Disease) is the main cause for the heart attacks. It has also been undertaken in surveys that 1 out of 5 deaths is caused by heart attacks. National Institutes of Health (NIH) gave a report on how many people die from heart attacks. It is determined that 1.2 million heart attacks occur every year in the people of USA and about 460K amongst these is deadly. There are about 300K people, who loose their lives due to heart attacks, before getting any medical treatment. WHO (World Health Organization) reported that approximately 30% of deaths occur globally because of heart attacks. There is estimation that by the end of 2010, the major cause of deaths in the world will occur due to heart attacks.

It is actually in the hands of human beings to keep away from this fatal disease. The best thing is to keep the immune system perfect. The body has many naturally existing chemicals, which find the protection against the disease. The potential chemical elements in the body include Antioxidants, which are most potential components in our body. Oxidation has been the main cause for heart disease. It may be a noticeable thing to get regular information about how many people die from heart attacks. Oxidation of cholesterol in your blood may make the fatty plaque to reside on artery walls. The naturally occurring antioxidants may include Glutathione. It occurs naturally inside the body and gives advantage to the body for digestion of the eating materials.

One in three people dies within 24 hours. Most of these deaths are sudden, occurring within one hour of onset of symptoms and before reaching hospital, and are often due to dangerous heart rhythms. Heart attacks need to be recognized and treatment has to be made as soon as possible because if the artery has blockage, there is a large probability for the dieing of heart muscle will die within 4-6 hours. The treatment can make reduction for the risk of death and makes prevention long-term complications. You do not have to wait for the treatment, which is less effective. There should be awareness about how many people die from heart attacks. This would make many people to learn about the ways to control the heart attacks and take the immediate steps, if they get any symptoms of heart attacks or see someone facing these situations.

Chest pain for heart attack can occur any time. It has been found that it mostly occurs in morning time and can be continuous and can have long duration. It can not always be predicted that what is the duration of heart attack. The patients of angina have more probability of getting the anginal attacks some days or weeks before getting a heart attack. Chest pain increases if there is a crush feeling on the chest of victim or some heavy extreme pressure sensation. There are some people feeling burning sensation in chest or tightness in the muscles of chest. The pain begins from heart and can spread out towards arms, jaws, shoulders, neck and other body parts. The chest pains normally last for 15 minutes and can not be relieved by any rest.

The signals for heart attack for women and elder adults can vary. The symptoms are like uncharacteristic chest pains. It feels like heartburn or indigestion. Some people also get a vomiting sensation. Women are more likely to get a silent heart attack. It can not be determined fully that what is the duration of heart attack for women and men. Fatigue and breathlessness can be a kind of experience for many women.

Older adults will often seek medical attention for a variety of symptoms including difficulty breathing, confusion, fainting, dizziness, abdominal pain or cough. They often think they are having a stroke when in fact they are suffering a heart attack. The other symptoms are responses to the damage caused to heart during the attack. It does not matter that what is the duration of heart attack, the main thing to be noted is that every heart attack is harmful to the body in some or the other way. It depends on the location of infected heart tissues, which can cause the other problems like variation in BP, vomiting, nausea, hiccups and many other problems. The extreme cases of heart attack can ultimately lead to death, in the case of the complete blockage of major blood vessel. It is important to get immediate medical attentions, even if there is no surety about the heart attack. The sooner a victim receives medical attention; better chances will be attained for survival.

Silent Heart Attacks can happen to any one but people most likely to experience Silent Heart Attacks are those that have had a prior heart attack, to those who suffer from diabetes, men or women of age above 65 who are prone to stroke.

The best way to identify such disease is through careful study of medical history, ECG and testing blood for cardiac enzymes. The most important treatment of Silent Heart Attacks is restoring the blood flow to heart. Silent Heart Attacks can include following symptoms:

- Discomfort in your chest, arms or jaws that seems to go away after resting.
- Shortness of Breath and tiring easily.

These two are the common complaints of the visitors in the emergency room but oddly many heart attack victims also reports a feeling of overwhelming doom just before an attack.

The symptoms that can be seen when Silent Heart Attack occurs are generally low and they just pass on without notice and hence not taken seriously and neither they are treated. Because of this carelessness the Silent Heart Attack sometimes is referred as silent killer. A slight pain in the chest which gives a feeling of that someone is squeezing the heart and feeling hard to breathe, such symptoms generally subside after taking some rest. If you feel continuous disturbance in your sleep and have a feel of blackouts or fatigue, these two are also considered as important symptoms of Silent Heart Attack. Therefore if you feel even a slight of any of these you should make you should be alert and should attend yourself immediately.

Unending pain in the abdomen can also be considered as the symptom of Silent Heart Attack. You also tend to feel dizzy and nausea tic which may also lead you to continue vomiting, these are also considered to be the sever symptoms.

Generally people who are diabetic patients come under the risky zone of Silent Heart Attack. Others with some heart disease like high cholesterol and high blood pressure also falls in the similar zone. Beside these if you are obsessed with smoking and drinking with no control on it and if you are over weight such facts also increases the risk of Silent Heart Attack. The treatment to the patient of Silent Heart Attack is similar to the ones who are suffering from general Heart Attack.

So chest pain, which is generally termed as the most common symptom of a heart attack, may not be necessarily present in the case of a Silent Heart Attack. Therefore any symptom related to that of a heart attack should be properly checked, to avoid any serious complications. In addition to proper and better treatment, changes in the lifestyle are also essential to control the risk factors of Silent Heart Attack. Therefore, controlling diabetes and tension and avoiding smoking, eating a healthy diet containing fresh vegetables and fruits, regular exercise and controlling the level of blood cholesterol can be effective in ignoring the high risk of Silent Heart Attack.

What is silent ischemia?

The condition where you can get a heart attack and not know it is called silent ischemia. Silent ischemia is often caused by narrowing of the blood vessels of the heart due to cholesterol. The reduction in blood supply to the heart is followed by a crushing chest pain which is a protest by the heart due to lack or less of blood supply is not seen. Almost 25 percent of such heart attacks go unnoticed. Only an ECG can detect the after effects of such silent heart attack.

The total absence of pain which is seen in other heart attacks is not noticed in silent ischemia. But that does not mean the heart muscles are not damaged. The in-built reserve of the heart helps to maintain normal blood supply to all the parts of the body. Further there is a high risk of another mild or massive attack as the heart muscles are already crippled due to the silent attack.

The best way to predict people who can get a heart attack and not know it is dependant on two factors. The first type of risk factor are ones that you cannot control namely- age, sex and genetic predisposition. The other set of factors are ones that you can exercise your control namely – diabetes, blood cholesterol, exercise, smoking and obesity.

What are the various risk factors?

The risk factors that you cannot control are those directly related to some people who have a natural ability to get a heart attack. Such people have a predisposing to Atherosclerosis. These people should control the other risk factors like diabetes, blood cholesterol and smoking. By keeping these factors under control they can easily win over their heart disease.

Those who are prone to get a heart attack are men who are above 50 with smoking habits. Women with symptoms of chronic diabetes for periods up to ten years and having high levels of cholesterol should also be very cautious. It is good for such people to undergo screening for silent ischemia or the condition where you can get a heart attack and not know it.

The best way to help detect a silent heart attack is through a medical test. This medical test has a thorough medical history, physical examination and a cardiac stress test. A cardiac stress test would include a treat mill where the functions of the heart are monitored.

These medical examinations prove to be the most accurate, painless and inexpensive way to detect the silent killer – where you can get a heart attack and not know it. It is also an easy way to understand how your heart is working and the progress of atherosclerosis which is almost viewed as a time bomb by cardiologists.

The silent killer – where you can get a heart attack and not know it is the worst enemy to your heart if left undetected.

How to identify a mild heart attack?

Normally mild heart attacks have very less symptoms; some do not have any symptoms at all. Regular checkups become very important to detect the signs of a mild heart attack. Heart diseases start with the signs of angina. Angina is chest pain which is similar to a heart attack. It is caused by lack of oxygen to the heart muscles. But in Angina the blood supply is restored very quickly so permanent damage to the heart muscles is prevented. The pain in an angina subsides very quickly. There is no pain in the arms, jaw and back. The signs of a mild heart attack are often mistaken for a heart burn. Often many people cannot understand what is wrong during a mild heart attack.

Avoid Misconceptions

Men very usually get chest pain during a heart attack. The symptom is not the same for women. Women normally have symptoms like vomiting nausea, indigestion and fatigue. It is very difficult to recognize the heart attack in women. They are not given the same medical treatment as they do not have typical symptoms.

The signs of a mild heart attack never are ignored. The longer the wait for medical help, the harder it becomes to treat the signs of a mild heart attack.

Considerations

Only a medical expert can exactly identify a mild heart attack. Sometimes it requires some tests like electrocardiogram. It helps to identify the electrical activity of the heart – whether it is disrupted or not. Even some cases blood tests to identify the level of enzymes are also required. Some doctors even recommend Cheat X-rays and stress tests to confirm a mild heart attack. These tests will enable you to identify the damage to the heart muscle and any abnormal heart rhythms.

Solution to prevent heart attack

It is very essential to understand that a mild heart attack can be easily prevented. You need to make some changes in your lifestyle like balanced diet, increased physical activity, and keeping stress levels to the optimum. It is also very necessary to avoid smoking and drinking as they are the killers in the case of heart attacks.

A regular check up to help you identify the cholesterol levels and blood pressure can help your doctor predict whether you are likely to get a heart attack. The “silent killer” the heart disease can be easily prevented. The signs of a mild heart attack are only the beginning of the long path of heart disease which can sometimes cripple your life.