Basic HTML Version
THERE ARE MANY
factors that increase your risk of having a
heart attack or stroke. Common risk factors include high blood
pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes and heart disease. Others are
lifestyle choices, such as smoking, heavy alcohol use, physical
inactivity and obesity.
Early detection and immediate action are crucial to surviving
a heart attack or stroke. Know the warning signs—and what
to do if you or someone you are with is having a heart attack
or stroke.
Knowing the warning signs of a stroke can save your life
and limit disabling brain damage. Unlike with a heart
attack, stroke symptoms are often quite sudden. You may
be having a stroke if you have:
• Garbled speech or trouble understanding someone
else talking
• Trouble seeing in one or both eyes
• Numbness or weakness on one side of your body
• Difficulty walking
• Dizziness or fainting spells
• Severe headache
What to do:
1
Call 911 immediately—be sure to tell the operator
if you have a bleeding disorder or are taking blood
thinners. Emergency treatment may include drugs that
increase bleeding.
2
Note the time symptoms occur—you may be able
to receive clot-busting drugs within three hours of
symptom onset, which improves your chances of a
favorable outcome.
For a convenient reference guide of signs and symptoms,
visit
www.emergencytips.org
.
WARNING SIGNS OF A STROKE
NEED TO KNOW:
If you are with a person you sus-
pect is having a heart attack, watch
him or her closely. If the patient
becomes unconscious, begin CPR
or use an AED. Perform chest-compression-only
CPR at a rate of 100 beats per minute.
HEART
HEALTH
THE BASICS
Health & Healing
www.saintalphonsus.org
4
Recognizing the warning signs of a heart attack is a
crucial step to avoid serious and long-lasting heart
damage. Chest pain is only half the story. You can also
have the following symptoms with or without chest pain:
• Difficulty breathing
• Stomachache, nausea or vomiting
• Pale or bluish-gray complexion
• Breaking out in a cold sweat
• Weakness or feeling unusually tired
• Dizziness or passing out
• Feelings of dread or doom
• Pain in your back, shoulders, arm, neck or jaw
What to do:
1
Call 911 immediately.
Follow any advice the 911
operators may give.
2
Sit or lie down.
While waiting for the ambulance,
loosen any tight clothing.
3
Stay calm and take deep breaths.
This isn’t easy,
but you must understand that anxiety increases the
heart’s need for oxygen and is known to worsen a
heart attack.
WARNING SIGNS
OF A HEART ATTACK