Heart Attacks & Strokes
A heart attack occurs when a part of the heart muscle cannot get enough of the blood and oxygen it needs. Then the heart muscle either dies or is permanently damaged. (Source: MedlinePlus.com)
Because the heart has different areas that all help to pump blood through the body, a heart attack changes how well the heart is able to do its job.
Heart attacks are medical emergencies requiring the immediate attention of a health care professional. (Source: American Heart Association)
Symptoms of a heart attack include:
A stroke happens when brain cells don’t get the blood and oxygen they need to live. This can happen when a blood clot blocks blood from reaching the brain or when a blood vessel in the brain breaks open. After only a few seconds without access to oxygen, brain cells die, causing permanent damage.
Strokes are medical emergencies requiring the immediate attention of a health care professional.
Symptoms of a stroke include:
Because the heart has different areas that all help to pump blood through the body, a heart attack changes how well the heart is able to do its job.
Heart attacks are medical emergencies requiring the immediate attention of a health care professional. (Source: American Heart Association)
Symptoms of a heart attack include:
- Discomfort, pressure, heaviness, numbness/or pain in the chest, arm, or below the breastbone
- Discomfort radiating to the back, jaw, throat, or arm
- Fullness, indigestion or choking feeling (may feel like heartburn)
- Sweating, nausea, vomiting, or dizziness
- Extreme weakness, anxiety, or shortness of breath
- Rapid or irregular heartbeats
A stroke happens when brain cells don’t get the blood and oxygen they need to live. This can happen when a blood clot blocks blood from reaching the brain or when a blood vessel in the brain breaks open. After only a few seconds without access to oxygen, brain cells die, causing permanent damage.
Strokes are medical emergencies requiring the immediate attention of a health care professional.
Symptoms of a stroke include:
- Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm, or leg, especially on one side of the body
- Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding
- Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes
- Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination
- Sudden, severe headache with no known cause