Hispanics and Heart Disease
By AWHONN Editorial Staff
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If you’re Hispanic, the CDC is warning you not to ignore the common signs of heart attack: pain or discomfort in the jaw, neck or back; feeling weak, lightheaded or faint; chest pain or discomfort; pain or discomfort in your arms or shoulders; or shortness of breath.

In a recent survey conducted in 14 states, the CDC found that “Hispanic adults are least likely to know the major signs of a heart attack and to call for emergency medical assistance if someone is having a heart attack with only 14.3% of study participants knowing the signs and the appropriate actions to take, compared with blacks (16.2%) and whites (30.2% ),” says Jing Fang, MD, the study’s lead author and an epidemiologist in the CDC Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention.

When Hispanics aren’t sure they’re having a heart attack, they’re less likely to call 911—only one in four Hispanics actually do, he says, dramatically increasing their risk of dying from a heart attack.
10/30/2009
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