heart attack

Sudden onset of gripping central chest pain, often accompanied by sweating and vomiting, caused by death of a portion of the heart muscle following obstruction of a coronary artery by thrombosis (formation of a blood clot). Half of all heart attacks result in death within the first two hours, but in the remainder survival has improved following the widespread use of thrombolytic (clot-buster) drugs.

After a heart attack, most people remain in hospital for seven to ten days, and may make a gradual return to normal activity over the following months. How soon a patient is able to return to work depends on the physical and mental demands of their job.

Women are less likely to suffer heart attack than men. However, as heart disease in women tends to be given lower priority because of lower incidence, they tend to be more likely to die as a result. The best predictor of heart attacks among older people may be an echogram (sonogram) of carotid arteries.

The US death rate from heart attacks is 55% higher in New York City than the average for the rest of the country, according to research published in March 1999 based on data from the years 1985-94.

US women under the age of 50 are more than twice as likely to die in hospital after a heart attack than men; a greater death rate continues until the age of 74 for women hospitalized after heart attacks. Researchers found in 1999 that 6.1% of the women younger than 50 died in hospital, compared to 2.9% of the men.

In the USA, the holiday season from December to January is the most dangerous time for heart attacks, according to a study published in October 1999. Death rates from heart attacks were 33% higher in December and January, rising dramatically after Thanksgiving and peaking around New Year's Day. The increased danger occurs because people drink more alcohol and eat more fatty and salty foods during that period.