Heart attacks by the numbers

Last update: February 9, 2008 - 5:08 PM

HEART ATTACKS: BY THE NUMBERS

(as of 2004)

1.2 MILLION Number of heart attacks in the U.S.

451,000 Number who died of heart attacks. Half never reach the hospital.

33% Drop in death rate from coronary heart disease from 1994 to 2004.

911 The sooner you call during a heart attack, the higher the chances of survival.

SYMPTOMS

Pressure, squeezing, fullness, or pain in the center of the chest that lasts more than a few minutes, or goes away and comes back; discomfort in other areas of the upper body, such as one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw, or stomach; shortness of breath, cold sweat, nausea or light-headedness.

Source: American Heart Association

MAURA LERNER

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