Heart Attack Signs and Symptoms You Shouldn't Ignore

Page: 1 2 3 4 5 6(of 6)	Previous | Next

One thing Sharon wishes she had known before her heart attack is how profoundly her family’s history of heart disease would affect her.

“I was adopted,” Sharon says. “I had gotten to know my [birth] mother, and I know that she had heart problems. But what I didn’t know was that women really have to watch their hearts, too. I didn’t really think that it was hereditary in women.”

Like smoking, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and obesity, having a parent with a history of coronary heart disease puts you at a higher heart attack risk. Individuals especially at risk include those whose father had a heart attack before age 55 and/or mother had a heart attack before age 65.

“I’ve had a heart attack, my [birth] mother died of a heart attack, and my husband’s father died of a heart attack,” Sharon says. “I think that’s scared my three sons into getting their numbers checked.”

Knowing your family history helps decrease your odds of having a heart attack in two ways. First, your doctor may order a simple noninvasive test, such as a carotid ultrasound or a heart scan, to look for early signs of heart disease or evidence of asymptomatic (symptomless) heart disease. Second, because you know your risk is higher, you have substantial motivation to eat a heart-healthy diet, increase your activity level, and start a dialog with your doctor about other ways to reduce your risk.

“You can’t change who your parents are,” Yancy says. “But you can do something about your other risk factors.” He says that once he knows a patient has a family history of heart disease, he tends to be more aggressive in treating high cholesterol and blood pressure, and eliminating other risks such as smoking and bad eating habits.

However, Yancy has noticed that many patients aren’t aware of their family’s history of heart health. “This could be out of respect or fear, but people need to be aware that they don’t have any reason to be afraid of their family history,” he says. If you find something lurking in your family tree, don’t panic. Share the information with your physician and come up with a plan to reduce your risk.