Heart Health Quiz on QuizRevolution

True. Chest pain is the most commonly reported heart attack symptom. But the pain may not feel severe or "stabbing." It may feel more like a discomfort. Chest discomfort may be accompanied by or follow shortness of breath. Or discomfort or pain may be felt in other areas of the upper body, such as one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw, or stomach. Also, other symptoms that can occur include breaking out in a "cold sweat," nausea, or light-headedness.

False. Heart disease is the number one killer of American women, and nearly half of all heart attack deaths each year happen to women. Furthermore, women are less likely to survive a heart attack than are men.

False. African-American women’s death rates from heart attacks are a third higher than the rates for white women. In general, women and minorities delay longer before calling for help. African-American women also are at greater risk for hypertension and diabetes, which are both risk factors for heart disease.

True. Many people do not recognize their symptoms as life-threatening. That’s why it is important to know the warning signs and take action quickly.

True. Heart attack deaths and heart damage can often be avoided when treatment begins within an hour of when the symptoms started. Most studies show a large reduction in death rates and in heart damage in patients treated within 1 hour of the start of symptoms.

True. Most people expect a heart attack to be a sudden intense pain, but often heart attacks start slowly as a mild pain. Patients whose experience did not match their expectations delayed longer before seeking treatment. And delay costs lives.

True. But studies tell us that family members should expect lack of awareness or denial of the seriousness of the symptoms, and resistance to calling for help. Many heart attack sufferers will reject calling 9-1-1, thus delaying the arrival of help. That's why it's best to enlist family, friends, and coworkers now. Discuss the symptoms. Talk to your doctors about risk for a heart attack. Make a survival plan, before you need one. Whenever a heart attack is suspected, everyone should know to call 9-1-1 immediately-wait no longer than 5 minutes, if symptoms persist. Don't wait for the person having symptoms to agree. Take charge to make sure the person gets checked out sooner rather than later.

False. It's better to be safe than sorry, and sometimes chest pain -- even mild chest pain -- is the only indicator of a heart attack beginning. Emergency medical personnel, or mobile EMS teams, can diagnose a heart attack and begin treatments on the spot. They can even revive a heart that has stopped or is beating erratically. Call right away -- do not wait longer than 5 minutes from when symptoms start. It's OK to be wrong. Emergency medical personnel want you to call to get a heart attack checked out. And even if the call turns out to be a false alarm, running the risk of feeling a little embarrassed is better than running the risk of dying or having a permanently damaged heart.

True. However, 45 percent, or nearly half, of all heart attacks occur in people under age 65. Five percent occur in people under age 40.

False. The most significant portion of delay time is due to patient delay, the time it takes for an individual to decide to ask for help. Sometimes a patient does not want to believe anything bad is happening and dismisses the seriousness of the symptoms. Sometimes people do not know the symptoms of heart attack.