Heart attacks are a grave and significant heart condition that can be fatal and can lead to cardiac arrest. Symptoms of heart attacks include when you feel chest pain, weakness, difficulty in breathing, and ache in your neck, jaw, and back. Hence, it is essential to know how to avoid being in such a condition to avoid the severe consequences of a heart attack.
Here are 6 risk factors of a heart attack:
1. Age
The older you get, the higher the chances of heart disease, heart attack, or a stroke, especially for individuals above 65 years old. As you age, your organs do not work at the same power as they previously used to. Your heart does beat at the same pace of speed as it would have when you were younger, especially during stressful times or while engaging in any physical activity.
2. Gender
Although for women, the fatality of heart attacks is more prominent and can result in their death immediately, they are still less likely to have a heart attack than men. Men can have heart attacks in their early life and later on and are more likely to get them as opposed to women.
3. History
If an individual has a family history of heart disease or heart attacks, in particular, they are more likely to get a heart attack than those who do not have an account of them. Moreover, those individuals who have already had a heart attack before are more at risk of having another heart attack than those who have not had one before.
4. Unhealthy lifestyle
Individuals who consume unhealthy foods such as junk food and are physically inactive are at risk of a heart attack. This is because exercise and healthy eating keep your cholesterol, blood pressure, and weight under control. When it gets out of control, it puts pressure on the heart resulting in a heart attack.
5. Smoking
Smokers are at a considerable risk factor for a heart attack so fatal that it can even lead to a cardiac arrest and eventually death. This is because the chemicals in the smoke cause the blood to become thick, and clots begin to emerge in the veins and arteries. Even those individuals who are passive smokers are at risk of a heart attack and hence should be very careful.
6. Stress
Taking stress impacts the heart in many negative ways and can become a risk factor. During stress, it is not just your mental health that’s impacted, but your physical health is also affected. This is because your blood pressure rises, you have headaches, etc., during stressful circumstances. As a result, you may try to calm down by consuming alcohol, smoking, or binge eating. All of this can result in harmful consequences such as a heart attack.
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