Myth & Reality

Myth: Once you’ve had a heart attack you should be wary of physical activity.

The Reality: Some type of regular physical exercise will continue to be important to maintaining your health. Following a heart attack your physician will advise you about when to resume physical activity and at what pace. It’s likely that you’ll be encouraged to increase your physical activity and stamina beyond your former levels. All of this will occur gradually without overexerting. The goal is to restore your sense of well-being and vigor and reduce your risk of having a second heart attack.

Myth. You have pain in your arm and shortness of breath before a heart attack.

The Reality: You may, but you may not. Sudden cardiac arrest is a major cause of death in the United States and it claims about 220,000 lives each year, according to the American Heart Association. That’s three lives every seven minutes. Statistics show that 50% of men and 63% of women who die suddenly from a heart attack had no previous symptoms at all. That’s why diagnostic procedures that can spot silent risk factors are lifesavers.

Myth: If your "bad" cholesterol is ok, you won’t have a heart attack.

The Reality: Cholesterol is not the only measure of risk. 50% of those who develop coronary heart disease (CAD) have normal cholesterol levels. There are many other factors that put people at risk for heart attack. Even people with no apparent risk factors still have heart attacks.

Myth: A woman is less likely to have a heart attack than a man.

The Reality: More women then men have died from heart attack, stroke and other cardiovascular diseases every year since 1984. Cardiovascular diseases kill more than 505,000 females every year. That is more than the next 16 causes of death combined.

Myth: I’m too young to have a heart attack.

The Reality: Thirty percent of all heart attacks occur in people under age 65. Heart attack, stroke and other cardiovascular diseases kill about 154,000 Americans under age 65 each year. Surprisingly nearly 7 million Americans under age 60 live with the often disabling effects of heart attack or angina. For many of those who survive, quality of life is never the same. Prevention is the best medicine and you can never start too soon in preventing heart disease. Remember, the plaque builds up silently and gradually over many years and decades.

Myth: I don’t smoke, I exercise, I watch my diet. It could never happen to me.

The Reality: All of those healthy habits are good and you should continue with them. However, cardiac problems can be developing without warning signs. HeartCam offers the opportunity to assess whether plaque is already present and, if so, how much. HeartCam gives you a much better idea of future risk of heart disease.