Clinical investigations: acute ischemic heart diseasePublic recognition of major signs and symptoms of heart attack: seventeen states and the US Virgin Islands, 2001
Section snippets
Methods
The Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System is a state-based random digit-dialed telephone survey conducted by state health departments in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.8 Samples represent each state's civilian, noninstitutionalized, adult population aged ≥18 years. The survey includes core questions asked of all participants every year or every other year and modules on specific public health topics. In 2001, 17 states and the US Virgin Islands included
Results
Sample characteristics are shown in Table I. Most participants (95%) recognized chest pain or discomfort as a heart attack symptom (Table II). Most participants also identified pain or discomfort in the arm or shoulder (89%) and shortness of breath (87%) as heart attack symptoms. Fewer participants indicated that pain in the jaw, neck, or back (51%) or that feeling weak, light-headed, or faint (65%) were symptoms. However, approximately one third of participants also incorrectly classified
Discussion
Definitive treatment for heart attack is early revascularization with either angioplasty or thrombolytic therapy.10, 11 Patient outcomes are improved with either therapy when initiated as soon as possible. Heart attack symptom recognition is logically tied to taking action to receive prompt emergency care. Although most persons recognized chest pain as a heart attack symptom, results from the National Registry of Myocardial Infarction suggest that 33% of patients admitted to a hospital with a
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2016, International Journal of CardiologyCitation Excerpt :Patients are also ashamed to ask for help and afraid of the consequences [41]. Ignorance of symptoms is another reason for patient to delay: while 80 to 90% of the patients know that chest pain is associated with myocardial infarction [42], only 11 to 26% of the patients actually recognize a myocardial infarction [39,43,44]. Patients do know smoking is a risk factor for ACS, but do not know the other risk factors [43,44], nor do patients with risk factors have more awareness about myocardial infarction [42,43].