When a heart attack happens … ACT
Awareness
Your awareness of the symptoms is vital; crushing chest pain, shortness of breath, nausea.
Call
999 the second you spot these signs.
Treat
Fast action can save lives.
Why you must ACT
A heart attack is a serious medical emergency in which the supply of blood to the heart is suddenly blocked, usually by a blood clot. The lack of blood to the heart can seriously damage the heart muscles. If left untreated, the muscles will begin to die. The medical term for a heart attack is myocardial infarction.
Heart attacks and coronary heart disease
Most heart attacks occur in people with coronary heat disease, which is caused by atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis is a serious condition where the arteries become narrowed and hardened by the build up of clumps of cholesterol, called plaques.
The two arteries that supply the heart are called the coronary arteries. People with hardened and narrowed coronary arteries are said to have coronary heart disease (CHD).
Risk factors for CHD include:
How common are heart attacks?
Heart attacks are very common and are one of the leading causes of death in England. Each year in England, an estimated 111,000 people have a heart attack. Many heart attacks that lead to death are preventable. This is because most of the risk factors that are listed above can also be prevented.
Most heart attacks occur in people who are over 45 years of age. Men are two to three times more likely to have a heart attack than women.
Over the last decade, death rates from heart attacks in England have fallen by around 25%. This may be related to an associated decrease in the number of people smoking cigarettes. However, the number of deaths is still higher than in many other western European countries. It is thought that this is because England has higher rates of obesity, diabetes and physical inactivity (people not exercising enough) than in other countries.
Treatment options for a heart attack can involve using medication to dissolve any blood clots and surgery to widen the coronary artery.
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