• Age and sex (a man 45 or older, or a woman 55 or older)
• History of early heart disease in your family (father or brother with heart problems before age 55, or mother or sister with heart problems before age 65)
• Cigarette smoking
• High cholesterol level
• High blood pressure
• Inactivity (not exercising)
• Obesity (being overweight)
• Diabetes
  

Preventing Heart Disease

• Get regular exercise - helps blood circulation, helps keep blood pressure and blood cholesterol within normal limits, keeps muscles in tone, helps prevent obesity by using calories, improves your mood. Regular mild exercise is far better for you than occasional strenuous exercise – try to walk at least a mile a day.
• Stop smoking - smoking is a major risk for heart disease. If you are a smoker, your blood is more likely to form clots in the arteries of the heart. Smoking also damages the lungs, which in turn may cause heart damage. Smokers who quit can reduce their risk for heart disease.
• Eat a healthy diet - a healthy diet is the best way to get all the nutrients your body needs. Extreme dieting is not healthy. Increasing dietary fiber and cutting out fat is the easiest way to take in fewer calories and still have a balanced diet.
• Reduce stress - stress and how you handle it is a risk factor for heart disease because it can increase blood pressure and blood cholesterol. Relaxation techniques can be helpful in reducing stress.
• Maintain a healthy weight - extra weight increases blood pressure, causes strain on the heart, and increases the risk for heart disease. It also increases the risk for type 2 diabetes, which is also a risk factor for heart disease.
• Take small steps toward a healthy lifestyle - if you decide you need to make changes in the way you live, you probably won't be able to turn your life around all at once. It is far better to change things in small, permanent steps than try to do too much and fail.

What is a Heart Attack?
A heart attack is when part of the heart muscle is damaged or dies because it is not receiving oxygen. Most heart attacks are caused by a blockage in the arteries. Heart attacks can also be caused by a blood clot that gets stuck in a narrow part of an artery to the heart.

Heart Attack Warning Signs
Most heart attacks start slowly, with mild pain or discomfort

• Chest discomfort - most heart attacks involve discomfort in the chest that last more than a few minutes, or that goes away and comes back. It can feel like 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, jaw or stomach.
• Shortness of breath - this feeling often comes along with chest discomfort.
• Other - cold sweat, nausea, light-headedness.

Other Resources
www.lungusa.org
www.nhlbi.nih.gov
www.amhrt.org