Heart Health Quiz

Heart-attack deaths have fallen 60 percent in five decades, according to the NHLBI. Still, more than 70 million Americans suffer from cardiovascular diseases linked with heart attacks and strokes, according to the AHA. More progress could be made if we could reduce the smoking rate, control blood pressure, screen and manage cholesterol, and become more physically active, the NHLBI says.

Many women don't realize how much risk they face when it comes to heart disease, the NHLBI says. Men's risk rises after age 40, and women's risk rises about 10 years later, after menopause. Though more men have heart disease, women are more likely to die from a first heart attack. The average 50-year-old woman is three times more likely to develop coronary heart disease than breast cancer, the NHLBI says.

The link between mind and body is getting clearer. Studies following Japanese earthquakes, for instance, found heart attacks caused more deaths than injuries during and just after tremors. Other studies indicate that in some stressful situations, blood flow to the heart falls for up to three out of four heart patients. And in a study of 1,551 people, Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health found those who were depressed were four times more likely to suffer a heart attack than those who were not depressed. "There is no doubt that the heart is an emotional organ," says James M. Rippe, M.D., author of "The Healthy Heart for Dummies" and other books. "Levels of stress and the way we relate to others are very important for cardiovascular health."

Doctors recommend that many mature patients take a daily low-dose aspirin (such as a "baby aspirin" or half of an adult aspirin) to help prevent heart-attack-causing blood clots in coronary arteries. In fact, some experts believe we could save up to 10,000 lives a year if everyone swallowed one regular aspirin at the first sign of a heart attack (after dialing 911). Doctors warn, however, that daily aspirin isn't for everyone -- especially people who take blood thinners or are prone to digestive irritation. Ask your doctor. Aspirin and cholesterol-lowering medication are no substitute for lifestyle changes, warns Philip A. Ades, M.D., the University of Vermont's director of cardiac rehabilitation.

"The actual stress on the heart during sex is fairly moderate," says Richard A. Stein, M.D., an AHA spokesman. "It's no more dangerous than a brisk walk or reasonable gardening."

Even with all the information available about risk factors such as age, smoking, obesity, sedentary lifestyle, hypertension, diabetes and family history, many of us deny these factors will affect our lives. "It's a lot easier to believe nothing is wrong than it is to take steps to see a doctor and to change the way we live," says Dr. Stein.

If you have one risk factor, you should address it. But in most instances, multiple risk factors do the damage. For instance, "even if heart disease runs in your family, you can substantially reduce your risk of a heart attack by keeping your cholesterol in check, your blood pressure within normal limits, increasing physical activity, quitting smoking and so on," says Dr. Ades. "Don't just take a look at what happened with your parents and believe, fatalistically, that you're doomed."

Many people avoid exercise in the belief that it will do no good unless they perspire heavily and gasp for breath. "But if your goal is to help prevent heart disease, you can do that without vigorous exercise," says Dr. Rippe. Work on accumulating at least 30 minutes of moderate physical activity five days a week.

Lives can be saved if people act sooner. If you suffer chest discomfort or shortness of breath, do not wait! Call 911 and get to the nearest emergency room. "Many people wait an hour or two after symptoms begin before going to a hospital," Dr. Rippe laments. Extra time increases the chances for death or permanent damage. Medications that break up heart-attack-causing blood clots can be given quickly at a hospital -- possibly saving your life.