Heart Attacks
Health, Behavior, and Population
Health Outcomes
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About Heart Attacks
A heart attack is referred to medically as an acute myocardial infarction. It is caused when the blood flow that brings oxygen to the heart is severely reduced or cut off altogether. Without adequate blood flow, heart cells can quickly become injured or die. Most heart attacks are an acute event that follows years of atherosclerosis - a build up of plaque in the arteries around the heart. Factors in the environment may contribute to both atherosclerosis and to the acute event itself.
This site provides data on hospitalizations for heart attack.
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Heart Attacks and the Environment
Genetics, lifestyle and environmental factors can all contribute to an increased risk for heart attack. In addition to lifestyle risk factors such as high LDL cholesterol, high blood pressure, obesity, smoking, lack of physical activity and diabetes, exposure to certain ambient air pollutants can also increase the risk of a heart attack. Most ambient air pollutants originate from fossil fuel (e.g. diesel, gasoline, fuel oil and coal) combustion.
Second-hand smoke is the single largest contributor to indoor air pollution. Studies suggest that exposure to second-hand smoke can accelerate the progression of atherosclerosis.
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About the Data and Indicators
The data presented on this site only include people who have been hospitalized for heart attack, and do not include those who died before admission or who were treated outside of the hospital.
Differences in heart attack hospitalization rates could reflect differences in diagnostic techniques, disease coding practices and factors that affect the likelihood of being hospitalized for heart attack, such as access to medical care.
Data show the number of heart attack hospitalizations rather than the number of people hospitalized. For example, if a person was hospitalized twice, they would be counted twice.
Heart attack hospitalizations are being tracked to fill the need for a national, centralized surveillance system for this important disease. Tracking heart attack hospitalizations can help to examine trends, identify populations at risk and facilitate research.
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Prevention
To reduce the risk of heart attacks, individuals, health care providers and public agencies can promote these actions:
- Health care providers should counsel all patients on how to modify their diets, exposures and lifestyles to prevent cardiovascular diseases.
- Everyone should "Know Your Number" - blood pressure and cholesterol levels. These should be checked at every regular doctor visit. Many local pharmacies now offer free blood pressure checks.
- Quit smoking to reduce your risk of a heart attack. Smokers are two to six times more likely to die of a heart attack than nonsmokers.
- Eat plenty of fruits, vegetables and whole grains, and choose foods low in sodium and saturated fat, and without added sugars. Neighborhoods can work together to increase access to healthy foods by promoting green markets, and encouraging neighborhood stores to carry fresh fruits and vegetables.
- Support policies that limit smoking in public places and improve air quality.
- Call 911 right away if you think you or someone else is having a heart attack, because early treatment can save lives and prevent disability.
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Key Messages
Heart disease is the leading cause of death, regardless of race or ethnicity for both men and women in NYC and nationwide. Heart attacks cause almost 3,000 deaths in NYC each year. Over 12,000 hospitalizations for heart attacks occurred among NYC residents in 2007.
Of the five boroughs, Staten Island has the highest age-adjusted hospitalization rate for heart attacks.
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