You’re at your desk, working through another long Monday. While you’re sending your afternoon emails, you start to feel a tightening in your chest and arm. The discomfort continues and you begin to have trouble catching your breath. You’re having a heart attack and you aren’t the only one.
According to the CDC, about 735,000 Americans have a heart attack each year. Of these, 210,000 have had a heart attack before. Knowing the major warning signs and symptoms can save your life or the life of a loved one. The major warning signs to look for in a heart attack are: chest pain or discomfort, upper body pain, shortness of breath, nausea, and lightheadedness.
Are you at risk? High blood pressure, high cholesterol, and smoking are all risk factors for heart disease. About half (47%) of all Americans have at least one of these risk factors. Scheduling an annual wellness check-up can be crucial to detecting and taking proactive measures to decrease your risk for a heart attack and heart disease. The CDC says that about 200,00 heart disease deaths could be prevented every year. Prevention could be as simple as changing your eating habits and getting the proper amount of daily exercise.