Do You Know The Signs of a Heart Attack? Stroke? Both heart attacks and strokes have hit many of my immediate family members. It doesn't' matter if you are a man or a woman. Statistically: 23% of women and 18% of men will die within the first year of their first heart attack symptom. 22-32% of women and 15-27% of men who are heart attack survivors will pass away within five years of their original heart attack. Heart disease is the leading cause of death of American women. More than 200,000 women die each year from heart attacks. This is a fact that I did not know until my own mother and grandmother had heart problems. For more information on prevention please visit the American Heart Association and your physician.
Do you know your numbers? You need to.... You need to have your cholesterol checked, your ldl "bad" cholesterol, your HDL "good" cholesterol, triglycerides, blood pressure, fasting glucose, body mass index, waist circumference.
Heart Attack Warning Signs: Not all heart attacks are sudden and intense some start with mild pain or 
discomfort.
*Chest discomfort: Discomfort/pain in the center of the chest that last more than a few minutes or that goes away and comes back. It can be uncomfortable, pressure, squeezing, fullness or pain. I know my dad said it he thought he had a severe case of heartburn.... not the case.
*Discomfort in other areas of the upper body: both arms, back, neck, jaw or stomach. For my mother is was her arms that hurt unlike any other pain she had before
*Shortness of breath: this can often occur with chest discomfort but it can also occur on its own.
* some other signs may include cold sweat, nausea or lighheadedness
Stroke Warning Signs: Every second counts, the longer you go without treatment the more damage that will be done. I know this to be so true. My grandfather had a stroke and he lived over 30 minutes away from a hospital. The damage was done, it changed his life forever with one side of his body becoming paralyzed.
*Sudden numbness or weakness off the face, arm or leg. especially on one side of the body
*confusion, trouble speaking or understanding
*sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes
*sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination
*sudden, sever headache with no known cause
In my moms case she suffers from severe migraines so when she started having mini strokes, she attributed the signs to her migraines. Not the case, even if you suffer migraines please have your symptoms checked out. Let your doctor know. My mom's mini strokes ended up in a heart attack.
Call 911 if you or someone you know is having these symptoms. Every second counts and no sign should be overlooked.
Take care of yourself... more information to come as February is Heart Health Month... time to schedule those physicals.
statistics from :http://www.womenheart.org/aboutUs/index.cfm also taken from the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association.
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