poll shows canadians have misconceptions about heart attack, cardiac arrest and stroke

most of us have seen the classic images in the movies or on tv where the leading man, under severe stress, clutches his chest, grimaces in pain, and sinks dramatically to the floor, felled by a heart attack. according to the heart & stroke foundation of canada , that “hollywood heart attack” is as fictionalized as the film. mostly.

• one in three canadians isn’t aware that cardiac arrest and heart attack are different. cardiac arrest occurs when the heart suddenly stops beating; heart attack occurs when the blood flow to the heart is slowed or blocked.
• one in three canadians isn’t aware that the signs of heart attack can be different between men and women. the most common is chest pain, but women can also experience a heart attack without chest pressure. they may feel pressure or pain in the lower chest, upper abdomen, or upper back, and extreme fatigue. as a result, half of women’s heart attacks go unrecognized.
• one in three canadians doesn’t know that 90 per cent of people who suffer cardiac arrest when away from a hospital don’t survive. 
• seven in 10 canadians don’t understand the risk factors for heart disease and stroke, believing the biggest risk is the result of family history. high blood pressure, in fact, is the number one risk factor for stroke and a major risk factor for heart disease.
• more than four in 10 canadians believe heart failure means your heart suddenly stops when it really means it’s not functioning as it should be.
• almost one in three canadians thinks driving someone suffering a stroke to the nearest hospital is better than waiting for an ambulance. in fact, they could be wasting valuable time because the nearest hospital might not be fully equipped to treat the stroke. paramedics are in constant communication with their dispatchers to be routed to the best hospital with a team of stroke professionals at the ready.
• one in three canadians isn’t aware that about 60 per cent of stroke victims are left with some level of disability and 40 per cent have moderate to severe disability, both physical and mental.
• one in three canadians believe it’s difficult to detect the signs of a stroke if you’re not a health-care professional, when anyone can learn the signs using the acronym fast: f stands for face, is it drooping? a is for arms, can they be raised? s is for speech, is it slurred or jumbled? t is for time — call 911 right away to head off major damage.

what are we missing when it comes to heart disease and stroke?

roughly 62,000 canadians have a stroke each year, one every 10 minutes, and more than 400,000 are living with the effects of a stroke every year, according to the vancouver stroke program at the vgh and ubc hospital foundation . 

“one of the things that struck us [about the poll] is that the number of people who have direct contact with somebody who has a heart condition is going up,” says patrice lindsay, lead, engagement and stroke strategies at the heart & stroke foundation. 

“ one out of every two canadians knows somebody who has had a heart attack, stroke or other related condition. but there’s this overall lack of awareness, which is obviously a big concern.”

dr. sherryn rambihar, s taff cardiologist at mackenzie health, and adjunct assistant professor in the division of cardiology, department of medicine at the university of toronto, says there’s ongoing research into male and female pattern heart disease that’s shedding more light. not all men have male pattern heart disease and not all women have female pattern, but some women have a different pattern. 

access is needed to treat heart disease and stroke

rambihar says part of the problem of relaying important health information is getting it to the people who need it.  

prevention of heart disease and stroke is key