Some people might experience mild pain while others have debilitating physical signs. Scarily enough, some people have no symptoms at all.
Some heart attacks take people by surprise, but many have warning signs and symptoms hours, days or weeks in advance.
The earliest warning might be consistent chest pain or pressure that’s triggered by highly intense activity and relieved by rest.
What are the risk factors?
According to the American Heart Association patients heart attacks can be linked to the following factors:
- Age. Men age 45 or older and women age 55 or older are at risk for a heart attack.
- Tobacco. Those who regularly smoke cigarettes or use tobacco products.
- High blood pressure. High blood pressure definitely weakens the heart and exposes it to failure.
- High blood cholesterol or triglyceride levels. A high level of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol (“bad” cholesterol) is most likely to narrow arteries. A high level of triglycerides, a type of blood fat related to your diet, also increases your risk of a heart attack. However, a high level of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol (“good” cholesterol) may lower your risk.
- High BMI. Morbid obesity is linked with high blood cholesterol levels, high triglyceride levels, high blood pressure and diabetes. Losing just 10% of your body weight can significantly lower this risk.
- Diabetes. Not producing enough of a hormone secreted by your pancreas (insulin) or not responding to insulin properly causes your body’s blood sugar levels to rise, increasing your risk of a heart attack.
- Metabolic syndrome. This syndrome occurs when you have obesity, high blood pressure and high blood sugar. Having metabolic syndrome makes you twice as likely to develop heart disease than if you don’t have it.
- Genetics. If your siblings, parents or grandparents have had early heart attacks (by age 55 for males and by age 65 for females), you might be at increased risk.
- Sedentary lifestyle. Being inactive contributes to high blood cholesterol levels and obesity. People who exercise regularly have better heart health, including lower blood pressure.
- High stress levels. Stressful lifestyles can significantly increase the risk of a heart attack.
- Recreational drug use. Using stimulant drugs, such as cocaine or amphetamines, can trigger a spasm of your coronary arteries that can cause a heart attack.
- Preeclampsia. This condition causes high blood pressure during pregnancy and increases the lifetime risk of heart disease.
- An autoimmune condition. Having a condition such as rheumatoid arthritis or lupus can increase your risk of a heart attack.
Preventing a heart attack.
At this point, we all know that the best way to prevent most medical diseases is through healthy lifestyle choices.
Maintaining a healthy weight mostly a clean diet, avoiding smoking, exercising at least 2-3 regularly times weekly, and managing can cut risk for heart strain.
BDO’s Black History of Health series is designed to show the correlation between the health of historical black figures and Black Americans today. Many of the health disparities we currently experience have been in our community for centuries. This series is meant to bring these conditions to the forefront and provide blacks with preventative and management steps to reduce these disparities and improve the overall health of the Black American community. It’s time to change the narrative.