When To Call A Professional
Table of Contents
Seek emergency help immediately if you have chest pain, even if you think that you are too young to be having heart problems. In people whose chest pain signals heart attack, prompt treatment can limit heart muscle damage.
You should not waste precious time hoping that your chest pain disappears. About 15% of people having a heart attack die soon after chest symptoms begin and never reach the hospital alive.
Prognosis
In people with coronary artery disease, the outlook depends on many factors. People with stable angina who are taking medications regularly, eating properly, and exercising as instructed by their doctors generally remain active. The prognosis for heart attacks when people reach the emergency room promptly has improved dramatically over the past 10 years. However, many people still die before reaching the hospital. This is why it is so important to prevent coronary artery disease.
Additional Info
American Heart Association (AHA) 7272 Greenville Ave. Dallas, TX 75231 Toll-Free: (800) 242-8721 Fax: (214) 706-2139 http://www.americanheart.org/
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) 6701 Rockledge Drive P.O. Box 30105 Bethesda, MD 20824-0105 Phone: (301) 592-8573 http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/
American College of Cardiology 9111 Old Georgetown Rd. Bethesda, MD 20814 Phone: (301) 879-5400 Toll-Free: (800) 253-4636, ext. 694 Fax: (301) 897-9745 http://www.acc.org/
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