Ever wonder if and how much smoking will increase your chances of having a heart attack? The NorthShore University HealthSystem website is providing an interactive tool that measures how much smoking alone can increase your risk of having a heart attack in the next 10 years.

This risk assessment tool was created by the U.S. National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) using information based on research from the Framingham Heart Study. The Framingham Study was established in 1948 and has been researching the causes and effects of Cardio Vascular Diseases (CVD) for three generations. The study is responsible for identifying many major CVD risk factors and has provided important information on risk factors such as blood pressure, blood triglyceride and cholesterol levels, age, gender, and psychosocial issues.

The tool calculates your risk of heart attack, based on smoking alone, using the values you enter for yourself (your gender and age), as well as a systolic blood pressure of 120 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg), an HDL cholesterol measurement of 55 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL), and a total cholesterol measurement of 200 mg/dL.

While this tool is a great way to discover how smoking by itself can increase your risk of having a heart attack, smoking can also have negative effects on CVD risk factors like cholesterol and blood pressure. So if you smoke, be sure to see a doctor and check for other risk factors for heart disease, your risk may be higher than this tool indicates.

It is widely known that heart disease is the #1 cause of death for men, but only about one third of women know that heart disease is also the top killer of women in the U.S. (1 of every 3 women die of heart disease). One reason for this lack of knowledge could be that women show different signs of heart attack than men. Signs such as nausea, dizziness, and anxiety are common symptoms of a heart attack in women. Here are some other signs to watch for:

• Chest pain, which can include back pain and/or deep aching and throbbing in one or both arms.
• Breathlessness and/or inability to catch your breath when waking up.
• Clammy sweating.
• Dizziness, including unexplained lightheadedness and possible blackouts.
• Anxiety, unusual nervousness, feelings of impending doom.
• Edema, fluid retention and swelling usually of the ankles or lower legs.
• Fluttering, rapid heartbeats, palpitations.
• Nausea–gastric upset.
• Feeling of heaviness, such as pressure-like chest pain between the breasts that may radiate to the left arm or shoulder.

While heart disease is the #1 killer in this country, it is also the most preventable. So take a little time to know the signs and make the small life changes you can make that can keep your heart healthy such as exercising regularly, eating right, and cutting out smoking and alcohol as much as possible!

A new source of stem cells was discovered and these new stem cells can become heart cells to repair the heart. These new stem cells are called human amniotic membrane-derived mesenchymal (undifferentiated) cells or hAMCs. The best part about hAMCs is their noncontroversial origins. Researchers in Japan obtained hAMCs from the amniotic membrane, the inner lining of the sac in which an embryo develops. The amniotic membrane is medical waste and can be collected before or after delivery.

Experimentation with rats has yielded many positive results. Rats that had a heart attack were injected with hAMCs two weeks after the heart attack showed a 34% to 39% improved function. There was also a 13% to 18% decreased scarred area of rat hearts when injected after a heart attack. The hAMCs survived for four weeks without being rejected by the rat heart, even without the use immunosuppressive medications.

Despite all the great results with hAMCs, there is still quite a while before testing hAMCs on humans. The next steps are to start testing hAMCs on larger animals and to increase the amount of heart cells created by hAMCs.

Often times, people choose to ignore symptoms. The odd swelling in the leg or a rash that just won’t go away, people forget about them. However, there are some serious medical symptoms you should not ignore.

• Paralysis of the arms or legs, tingling, numbness, confusion, dizziness, double vision, slurred speech, trouble finding words, or weakness, especially on one side of the face or body.
  • This could be signs of a stroke.
  • Arteries that bring oxygen to the brain become blocked or even ruptured which leads to the death of brain tissue.
  • Symptoms vary depending on which vessel is blocked or ruptured. If a large vessel is compromised, then an entire side of the body may suffer symptoms. Though if a small vessel is blocked then a smaller region of the body may be affected, like an arm or a leg.

• Chest pain or discomfort; pain in the arm, jaw, or neck; breaking out in a cold sweat; extreme weakness; nausea; vomiting; feeling faint; or being short of breath.
  • A heart attack may be imminent.
  • Chewing a full-strength aspirin during an attack may prevent heart damage

Plenty of other symptoms may lead to some serious complications. So never delay medical help. As soon as symptoms appear, get immediate medical help.

The resting heart rate of a woman is a good indicator of heart attack risk. Even after taking in account of other risk factors such as smoking and alcohol consumption, the resting heart rate still proves to be an accurate predictor of heart risk.

According to WebMD, 129,135 records of postmenopausal women who had no history of heart problems were studied by a team of scientists. Their heart rates were taken at the start of the studied and were followed up for the next 8 years. What the researchers discovered were women with heart rates of 76 beats or above had a much more likely to have an heart attack than women with the lowest heart rates of 62 beat per second.

The correlation was still relevant after factoring in physical activity levels, race, high blood pressure, and even cholesterol abnormalities. Then also amending the study for factors that affect heart rate like smoking, body mass index, and other variables, the relationship held steady. The results were more prevalent in women under 65 years of age.

Despite more complex and expensive methods to assess heart risk, resting heart rate is still a straightforward indicator to predict coronary events (not stroke) in post-menopausal women.

The prescription drug Plavix, the second best-selling drug in the world, helps prevent previous blood clot related heart attack and stroke victims of another deadly incident. Plavix helps keep platelets in the blood stream from sticking together and forming clots, which is a direct cause of heart attack and stroke.

Recent news has shown that normal doses of Plavix have a potentially deadly lack of effect in 2% to 14% of patients. These patients are known as “poor metabolizers” who carry a variant CYP2C19 gene affecting the enzyme that converts Plavix into its active form.

The first warning about the effect on poor metabolizers appeared on Plavix labels in May 2009. But with recent findings from a drug maker-funded study and other research, the FDA has now strengthened the warning.

A person can identify if they are a poor metabolizer with a genetic test. These tests cost about $500, but the cost isn’t the only issue. The time to get the test results varies. It may be a few hours to a day or two, or other labs can take up to a few weeks; and for many patients at risk of a second heart attack or stroke, time is of the essence.

Click here for more heart attack information.

There’s no doubt that pets can make their owners feel happy and relieve stress at the end of a long day. But house pets can provide additional health related benefits like boost heart health, and encourage stronger immune systems. Pets can even encourage people to stay active and be conscious of their daily exercise routine.

According to several studies, heart attack patients who have pets tend to survive longer than those without. Pets can help lower blood pressure and lessen anxiety. Male pet owners even have fewer signs of heart disease, like lower triglyceride and cholesterol levels than non pet owners.

Additional studies have shown that children who grow up around furry pet animals can reduce their risk of allergies and asthma later in their life. They can also have higher levels of some immune system chemicals, which signify an overall stronger immune system.

Click here for more information on the heart effects of high blood pressure.

Typically people with heart disturbances, or abnormal heart rhythms, are advised to avoid caffeinated coffee. However, a new study showed that moderate coffee consumption may actually reduce the risk of being hospitalized for heart rhythm problems. People from the study who reported four or more cups a day had an almost 18% reduction in the risk of being hospitalized for heart rhythm disturbances.

Experts have widely known that very large doses of caffeine, coffee’s most active ingredient, are linked with heart rhythm disturbances; less research has been done on that effect of typical or more moderate daily coffee intake.

The findings of this study are scheduled to be presented at this week’s American Heart Association’s 50th Annual Conference on Cardiovascular Disease Epidemiology and Prevention in San Francisco.

Click here for more information on heart rhythm disorders.

In honor of International Omega-3 Awareness Day, the third day of the third month of the year, it’s time to set the record straight about the wonder nutrient Omega-3s. The first research finding correlation between lower risk of heart disease and omega-3 fatty acids goes back to the 1970s when two Danish scientists discovered that Eskimos in Greenland had an extremely low rate of heart attacks—about one-tenth the U.S. rate—despite eating a diet high in fish, seal, and whale fat.  Now 40 years later, researchers still agree that omega-3s play a key role in shrinking risk of coronary diseases.

However, there is a critical disclaimer to that statement. All omega-3s are not the same; only fatty acids from fish known as DHA and EPA are known to deliver a large heart benefit. The ALA acids found in plants such as flaxseed, walnuts, and canola oil have a shorter carbon chain that has to be converted to DHA and EPA by your body; and human bodies are not efficient at turning plant omega-3s into the fish kind.

Additional claims about omega-3s should be taken with a grain of salt. Studies have suggested that the EPA and DHA might help battle dementia, ADHD, and cancer. But there’s a problem. The research mostly looked at the improvement rates of these conditions among people who ate a lot of fish. The type of person who goes out of their way to eat fish several times per week is most likely doing other things to take care of their health; like eat less red meat and exercise more. This alone does not prove that omega-3s are responsible, but it could be the combination of fish consumption along with regular exercise.

Click here for more information on omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids.

Having abnormal cholesterol levels can significantly increase your risk of heart attack or stroke. Abnormal levels of cholesterol are high levels of “bad” cholesterol (low-density lipoproteins), and/or low levels of “good” cholesterol (high-density lipoproteins). Taking control of your cholesterol can be done through exercising regularly and adhering to a low cholesterol diet.

One of the easiest ways to stick to a low cholesterol diet is to keep unhealthy foods out of your house. Simply grab a garbage bag, open the refrigerator and the pantry, and start tossing! Many of these unhealthy foods contain trans fats or saturated fats, and as of January 2006 the FDA ruled that all nutritional labels must include both saturated and trans fat content. The American Heart Association recommends that people get only 7% of their calories from saturated fat, and 1% from trans fat

Now start stocking up on heart-healthy oils and fats. Look for foods with polyunsaturated fats, found in nuts and seeds (also sunflower, peanut, and walnut oil) and monounsaturated fats, like olive, and canola oils, which are known to reduce the “bad” LDLs and increase “good” HDLs.

To chat with a doctor about cholesterol, sign up for the live chat at NorthShore HealthSystem on March 4, 2010 at 1PM.

If you are concerned about your cholesterol, check out this health check test at WebMD.com