Heart attack rates in America differ in each state. Some cities in the United States have many residents with healthy hearts. Others, however, have people with weak hearts and are prone to heart attacks.
The findings came from a recent Gallup-Healthways survey titled "How Heart-Healthy Is Your City? Full Rankings of 190 US Cities," which conducted in 2014 and 2015, Live Science reported. The five metro areas with the lowest heart attack rates are Boulder, Colorado; Ann Arbor, Michigan; Tallahassee, Florida; Provo-Orem, Utah; and Austin-Round Rock, Texas.
Following close as the U.S. communities with low heart attack rates are San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, California; Visalia-Porterville, California; San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles-Arroyo Grande, California; Gainesville, Florida; and Green Bay, Wisconsin. These areas' heart attack rates fell from 1.9 percent to 2.2 percent of residents.
Researchers found Charleston, West Virginia as the community with the highest heart attack rates, with 8.8 percent of respondents reporting about experiencing heart attacks. Another Gallup-Healthways survey released earlier this year also listed Charleston, West Virginia as the poorest performer in providing well-being to its residents, Fox News reported.
Other U.S. communities with high rates of heart attacks are Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach, Florida (7.9 percent); Duluth, Minnesota-Wisconsin (7.7 percent); Huntington-Ashland, West Virginia-Kentucky-Ohio (7.7 percent); Youngstown-Warren-Boardman, Ohio-Pennsylvania (7.4 percent); and Lake Havasu City-Kingman, Arizona (7.2 percent). Others that didn't fare well in the heart attack rates survey are Chico, California; Fort Smith, Arkansas-Oklahoma; and North Port-Sarasota-Bradenton, Florida. You can check out the full list on Live Science's report.
Around 735,000 Americans have a heart attack every year, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Out of this number, 525,000 cases are a first heart attack and 210,000 individuals have already had a stroke in the past.
Smoking, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol are some of the triggers of heart disease. About half of Americans or 47 percent are guilty of having at least one of these three risk factors. Diabetes, poor diet, excessive alcohol consumption, physical inactivity, obesity, and overweight also contribute to heart disease.
People on the verge of heart attacks display several signs and symptoms including chest pain or discomfort and shortness of breath. They also feel nausea, lightheadedness, cold sweats, upper body pain, and discomfort in the arms, back, jaw, neck, or upper stomach.
Early action and treatment are vital in heart attacks. Knowing the warning signs and symptoms of heart attacks can increase a patient's chances of survival.
