The stats are sobering: there are about 70,000 heart attacks in Canada every year, or one every seven minutes.
Nearly 16,000 Canadians die each year because of a heart attack, according to the Heart and Stroke Foundation (HSF), and most people never make it to a hospital.
Nearly nine out of every 10 Canadians have at least one risk factor for heart disease or stroke, HSF says, but many of us don’t know enough about the signs of a heart attack itself.
The good news is that with quick medical attention, many heart attacks are treatable and survivable. The death rate from cardiovascular health issues has dropped by more than 75 per cent in Canada since 1952, mostly due to advances in surgery, drugs, and prevention. Those advances can help people survive a heart attack, but they’re a lot more likely to work if you get treated quickly.
Here are 13 things you should know about the signs of a heart attack — learn them now, and some day they might save your life, or the life of someone you love.