Heart Attack Archive

Anger or emotional upset may double the risk of having a heart attack. Heavy physical exertion appears to have the same effect. And people who do intense exercise while they’re upset or mad may face three times the risk of heart attack. 

About half of all heart attacks are mistaken for less serious problems and can increase your risk of dying from coronary artery disease.

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You can have a heart attack and not even know it. A silent heart attack, known as a silent myocardial infarction (SMI), account for 45% of heart attacks and strike men more than women.

They are described as "silent" because when they occur, their symptoms lack the intensity of a classic heart attack, such as extreme chest pain and pressure; stabbing pain in the arm, neck, or jaw; sudden shortness of breath; sweating, and dizziness.

Medications such as aspirin, statins, ACE inhibitors, and beta blockers are prescribed to certain patients to lower the chance of a first or repeat heart attack. New research shows that they also may reduce the severity of attacks that do occur.

A majority of men do not talk about resuming their sex life after a heart attack, which may lead to sexual problems like lack of interest and erectile difficulties. Researchers say that before being discharged from the hospital, men should expect to have a conversation with their physician about when it’s okay to resume all regular activities, including sex. If the topic does not come up, men should take the initiative.

Millions of older adults aren’t taking their blood pressure drugs as directed. Ways to combat adherence problems include asking a doctor for less expensive drugs, understanding what a medication is for, and reporting side effects. 

Frank discussions with a doctor can help heart attack survivors return to sexual activity.

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Few things shake your sense of well-being more than a sudden heart attack. When the initial shock wears off, an over-whelming need to get life back to normal as quickly as possible usually takes hold. "Patients always ask me when can they drive again, when can they start exercising, and when can they return to work," says Dr. Donna Polk, a cardiologist at Harvard-affiliated Brigham and Women's Hospital. A key issue that seldom gets mentioned, though, is the struggle many heart attack survivors encounter when trying to resume their sex lives.

The same physical changes involved in a heart attack can conspire to diminish sexual enjoyment. Faulty circulation throughout the body, a hallmark of cardiovascular disease, reduces the amount of blood that reaches the sex organs. Men may develop erectile difficulties, and women may not have the blood flow needed for vaginal arousal and lubrication.

Throughout life, men seem to be twice as likely to have a heart attack as women. This risk appears to persist even after accounting for risk factors such as high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and diabetes. 

Minimize risks with simple solutions such as preventing overexertion and preparing for cold temperatures.

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As temperatures start to fall, your risk of a heart attack begins to climb. "Cold weather sometimes creates a perfect storm of risk factors for cardiovascular problems," says Dr. Randall Zusman, a cardiologist with Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts General Hospital.

Many of these risks stem from what Dr. Zusman calls a "mismatch between supply and demand." Cold weather can decrease the supply of oxygen-rich blood to your heart muscle. And it can put you in situations that force your heart to work harder; as a result, your heart demands more oxygen-rich blood. Such a mismatch-a smaller supply of oxygen to the heart coupled with a greater demand for oxygen by the heart-sets you up for a heart attack.

Here's what heart attack survivors need to know to lower their chance of a future stroke.

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First, the good news: The rate of first-time heart attacks has dropped by nearly half in the past 25 years. And heart attack survival rates have surged, thanks to improved treatments. The bad news? Compared to people without such a history, heart attack survivors not only face a higher risk of a second heart attack, they're also more likely to have a stroke.

The risk of stroke is higher in the first year following a heart attack, especially during the first month. After a year, however, only the risk of ischemic stroke remains elevated, according to study in the July 2016 Stroke that tracked more than a quarter-million heart attack survivors over a 30-year period. (See "Types of stroke: Blockage vs. bleeding" for a primer on the different types.)

A daily aspirin may help defend against heart disease, but it should still be used with caution.

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Aspirin tablets have been a staple of home medicine cabinets and first-aid kits for nearly 100 years. Long before that, people chewed willow tree bark, which contains aspirin-like compounds, to treat a variety of ailments. On top of being an excellent painkiller and fever reducer at its standard dosage, aspirin dramatically reduces the risks for a second heart attack and certain types of stroke when taken daily at a low (81-mg) dose. Research also suggests that aspirin might help limit the growth of colorectal cancer and possibly inhibit other cancers as well, but more research in this area is needed.

These benefits, coupled with the fact that aspirin is both cheap and relatively safe, have led the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) to recommend that even some healthy people take a daily aspirin to ward off future disease. But figuring out exactly who is likely to benefit most from this therapy is a more complex calculation, says Dr. Michael Gaziano, a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and cardiologist at Brigham and Women's Hospital.