• Sex: male
• Increased age
• Obesity
• Smoking
• High blood pressure
• Sedentary lifestyle
• High blood cholesterol (specifically, high LDL cholesterol, and low HDL cholesterol)
• High blood triglycerides
• Diabetes
• Stress
• Family members with heart disease

• Squeezing, heavy chest pain, especially with:
  • Exercise or exertion
  • Emotional stress
  • Cold weather
  • A large meal
• Pain in the left shoulder, left arm, or jaw
• Shortness of breath
• Sweating, clammy skin
• Nausea
• Weakness
• Loss of consciousness
• Anxiety, especially feeling a sense of doom or panic without apparent reason

Unusual symptoms of heart attack (may occur more frequently in women):

• Stomach pain
• Back and shoulder pain
• Confusion
• Fainting

If you think you are having a heart attack, call for medical help right away.

• Blood tests—To look for certain enzymes found in the blood within hours or days after a heart attack.
• Urine tests—To look for certain substances found in the urine within hours or days after a heart attack.
• Electrocardiogram (EKG) —Records the heart's activity by measuring electrical currents through the heart muscle, changes can show if there is blockage or damage.
• Echocardiogram —Uses high-frequency sound waves (ultrasound) to examine the size, shape, function, and motion of the heart.
• Stress test —Records the heart's electrical activity under increased physical stress, usually done days or weeks after the heart attack.
• Nuclear scanning—Uses radioactive material to show areas of the heart muscle where there is diminished blood flow.
• Electron-beam computed tomography (EBCT)—A type of x-ray that uses a computer to make detailed pictures of the heart, coronary arteries, and surrounding structures.
• Coronary angiography —Uses dye and x-rays to look for narrowing or blockage in the coronary arteries.

• Oxygen
• Pain-relieving medicine
• Nitrate medicines
• Aspirin and other antiplatelet agents
• Beta-blockers and/or angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor medicines
• Anti-anxiety medicine
• Cholesterol-lowering medicines (such as statin drugs)

Within the first six hours after a heart attack, you may be given medicines to break up blood clots in the coronary arteries. Other medicines that may be given include those that block the function of platelets.

• Maintain a healthy weight.
• Begin a safe exercise program. Follow your doctor's advice.
• If you smoke, quit.
• Eat a healthy diet. Your diet should be low in saturated fat and rich in whole grains, fruits, and vegetables.
• Properly treat long-term conditions, like high blood pressure, diabetes, and high cholesterol.
• Manage stress.
• Ask your doctor about taking a small, daily dose of aspirin.
  • Although most people are able to tolerate such a low dose of aspirin, even this small amount can rarely lead to serious bleeding, particularly from the gastrointestinal (GI) tract.
  • Aspirin may not work as well when combined with other pain medicines.