Heart Attack Symptoms a Mystery to Many
CDC: Most U.S. Adults Have Gaps in Their Knowledge of Heart Attack Symptoms
Feb. 21, 2008 -- If you or someone you were with were having a heart attack, would you know it? Maybe not, according to a new CDC report.
That report, based on a 2005 telephone poll of 72,000 U.S. adults in 13 states and Washington, D.C., shows that most people didn't know five symptoms of a heart attack. And not all participants said they would call 911 at the first sign of heart attack symptoms.
That knowledge gap could be deadly. Certain drugs can stop heart attacks, but they should ideally be given within an hour after heart attack symptoms start.