Cardiovascular diseases, including stroke, are our nation’s No. 1 killer. To urge Americans to join the battle against these diseases, since 1963 Congress has required the president to proclaim February “American Heart Month.”
Statistics
Coronary heart disease is the No. 1 cause of death in the United States. Stroke is the No. 3 cause of death in the United States and a leading cause of serious disability. Locally in 2014, 217 women and 249 men died from coronary heart disease. That represents 42 percent of the deaths in Richland County (excludes Shelby). That figure is up significantly from 2013 where 36 percent of the deaths in Richland County were from heart disease.
That’s why it’s so important to reduce your risk factors, know the warning signs, and know how to respond quickly and properly if warning signs occur.
Heart Attack Warning Signs
Some heart attacks are sudden and intense — the “movie heart attack,” where no one doubts what’s happening. But most heart attacks start slowly, with mild pain or discomfort. Often people affected aren’t sure what’s wrong and wait too long before getting help. Here are signs that can mean a heart attack is happening:
· Chest discomfort. Most heart attacks involve discomfort in the center of the chest that lasts more than a few minutes, or that goes away and comes back. It can feel like uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, fullness or pain.
· Discomfort in other areas of the upper body. Symptoms can include pain or discomfort in one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw or stomach.
· Shortness of breath with or without chest discomfort.
Other signs may include breaking out in a cold sweat, nausea or light-headedness.
Stroke Warning Signs (from the American Stroke Association)
· 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
If you or someone with you has one or more of these signs for either a heart attack or a stroke, don’t delay. Immediately call 911 or the emergency medical services (EMS) number so an ambulance (ideally with advanced life support) can be sent for you. The faster you can get medical care the better chances are for both survival and decreasing bad side effects.
Twenty-nine individuals died from strokes in Richland County in 2014, the eighth leading killer locally.