Every second counts in the life and death emergency of heart attack or stroke.
Heart attack is one of the primary causes of cardiac arrest. The American Heart Association says the body will likely send one or more of these warning signals of a heart attack: uncomfortable pressure; fullness; squeezing or pain in the center of the chest lasting more than a few minutes; pain spreading to the shoulders, neck or arms; chest discomfort with lightheadedness, fainting, sweating, nausea or shortness of breath. Other less common warning signs of heart attack are difficulty breathing, dizziness, palpitations and cold sweat or paleness.
The American Stroke Association, a division of the American Heart Association, states the warning signs of stroke are: sudden numbness or weakness of face, arms or legs, especially on one side of the body; sudden confusion; trouble speaking or understanding; sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes; difficulty in walking; dizziness; loss of balance and coordination and sudden severe headaches with no known cause.
As part of American Heart Month, the AHA is promoting awareness of what to do in case of a cardiac or stroke emergency.
“It’s important to know the chain of survival for both cardiac arrest and stroke,” said Anthea L. Germano, communications chairwoman for the AHA, Blair County Division. “The first thing to do is to engage the emergency medical services system by calling 9-1-1. Calling 9-1-1 enables appropriate personnel to respond to the scene. In the case of cardiac arrest, CPR should be started immediately following the call for emergency services. If an automatic external defribilator is available, it should be utilized without delay.”
According to Germano, about 80 percent of all cardiac emergencies happen at home. Without the chain of survival, approximately 95 percent of Americans who suffer sudden cardiac arrest will die before reaching the hospital.
Cardiologist Joseph Gattuso, medical advisor for the Association’s Blair County Division, is keenly aware that in Blair County, about 43 percent of all deaths are the result of cardiovascular diseases.
“Much of what the American Heart Association does centers on educating the general public in what the risk factors are for cardiovascular diseases and how to reduce or eliminate them through lifestyle modification,” said Gattuso.
“There are two types of risk factor for heart disease and stroke. Those we can control and those we cannot control,” he continued. “Examples of risk factors we can’t control are age, gender and heredity. The older we are, the more at risk we become. If there is a family history of heart disease or stroke, our risk increases. At present, heart disease is still more prevalent in men than in women, but the gap seems to be narrowing.
“Risk factors we can control are diet, exercise and lifestyle,” he said. “If you smoke, eat a high-fat, high-cholesterol diet and don’t exercise, you’re at a prime risk for cardiovascular diseases. Obesity and diabetes often go hand-in-hand in contributing to the devastation of heart disease and stroke.”
Gattuso also noted that Blair County is a pocket of high-level coronary artery disease and diabetes.
Heart disease and stroke are by no means exclusive to adults. According to the AHA, at least eight of every 1,000 infants born each year have a heart defect. Strokes can occur in the elderly.
“Heart disease and stroke know no boundaries,” said Germano. “They attack men, women and children with equal ferocity.”
In an effort to combat heart disease and stroke, the AHA puts forth an aggressive effort to fund and to promote cardiovascular disease and stroke research and education. Over the years, money raised from AHA fundraisers have been instrumental in the development of such procedures as coronary artery bypass surgery, balloon angioplasty and the placement of stents to expand narrowed coronary arteries.
CPR, the automatic defibrillator and clot-busting drugs for treatment of stroke are also among the many medical and technical advancements made possible by AHA initiatives.
On the local level, the Association’s Blair County Division sponsors a speaker’s bureau consisting of “heart smart” volunteers to educate the community about cardiovascular diseases and the function of the AHA. Other local AHA volunteers conduct free blood pressure screenings and stroke risk assessments throughout the county.
In Blair County schools, a program called Heart Power educates students from kindergarten through eighth grade in all aspects of cardiovascular diseases at each grade level. Jump Rope for Heart and Hoops for Hearts are educational fundraisers that engage the students in community service while helping to fund critical research and education in the field of heart disease and stroke.
“Heart disease is still the number one killer and stroke the number three killer in America,” cautioned Anthea L. Germano. “Every day medical researchers and scientists are closing in on these diseases.
“More and more, the mission of the American Heart Association is being realized: ‘To reduce disability and death from heart disease and stroke’.”
For more information about AHA programs and volunteer services, call the Blair County Division office at 949-3160.
