| Nearly 500,000 Americans die of
heart attack each year, with most victims waiting
as long as three hours before seeking medical
attention.
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| You
may be having a heart attack if you feel ...
- Uncomfortable pressure, fullness, squeezing,
pain or discomfort in the center of the chest
which last for more than two minutes
- Pain or discomfort which spreads to the shoulders,
neck or arms
- Pain, dizziness, sweating, nausea or shortness
of breath
- Any of the above symptoms which disappear
with rest and then return with exertion
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| 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
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What is a heart attack?
According to the American Heart Association,
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.
Sometimes 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. We're not sure what causes
a spasm. A spasm can occur in normal-appearing
blood vessels as well as in vessels partly blocked
by atherosclerosis. A severe spasm can cause a
heart attack.
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