SPRINGFIELD -  The sudden deaths in June of popular political commentator Tim Russert and comedian George Carlin, who battled heart disease since his first heart attack in 1978, for the moment brought greater attention to heart health and the risk factors for coronary heart disease.

“Many of the people we see with heart attacks are at risk with high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and diabetes, or they are smokers, and many have a family history of heart disease,” said Dr. Marc Schweiger, interim director, Division of Cardiology, Baystate Medical Center.

Heart disease is the No. 1 killer of men and women in the United States. This year alone some 770,000 Americans will suffer a new coronary attack, while about 430,000 will have a recurrent attack, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“It’s all about lifestyle when setting out to protect yourself from the risk of heart disease,” said Schweiger. “If you begin to modify your lifestyle now, especially if you are middle-aged, you will be taking steps towards preventing further or more serious heart trouble.”

Especially disconcerting to cardiologists and many doctors today are the increasing rates of obesity among Americans, noted Schweiger. Obesity contributes to such illnesses as diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol – all potential causes of a heart attack.

“Adopting a healthy lifestyle including controlling your weight through nutritious eating and regular exercise, and giving up smoking, will put you on a path to preventing a heart attack,” Schweiger said.

But some risk factors, such as heredity, gender, race and age, are beyond one’s control.  Men have a higher rate of heart disease than women and heart and vascular disease go up with age. African Americans tend to have more severe high blood pressure and a higher risk of heart disease than whites. Heart disease is also higher among Mexican-Americans, American Indians, native Hawaiians and some Asian-Americans. This is partly due to higher rates of obesity and diabetes.

“However, the risk factors you can control far outweigh the uncontrollable ones,” Schweiger said.

The American Heart Association lists the following warning signs of a heart attack:

• Chest discomfort  – Most heart attacks involve discomfort in the center of the chest that lasts more than a few minutes, or that goes away and comes back, such as uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, fullness, or pain.
• Discomfort in other areas of the upper body – Symptoms can include pain or discomfort in one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw or stomach.
• Shortness of breath – May occur with or without chest discomfort.
• Other signs – Breaking out in a cold seat, nausea or lightheadedness.

Also, while women experience many of the same symptoms as men, including chest pain or discomfort, they are more likely than men to experience shortness of breath, nausea/vomiting or lightheadedness.

At the onset of symptoms of a heart attack, call 9-1-1 immediately.

“Every second counts and can mean the difference between life and death and the saving of precious heart muscle,” said Schweiger, noting in average treatment time for heart attack patients, Baystate Medical Center ranks in the top 10% nationally.

Dr. Schweiger said getting to an emergency department with access to life-saving, interventional treatment can also make a big difference in a heart attack patient’s recovery. National studies have proven that a greater number of lives are saved when heart attack patients are quickly treated using angioplasty in a state-of-the-art cardiac catheterization laboratory.

In Western Massachusetts, Baystate Medical Center is the only hospital to offer the services of a cardiac cath lab open round-the-clock, seven days a week that is staffed by trained, licensed and experienced technical personnel with a cardiologist on call at all times.

“This means when a patient arrives at our Emergency Department with a heart attack, we are equipped to perform an urgent coronary angiogram and immediately unblock clogged arteries with angioplasty or stenting, allowing us to restore the flow of blood to the affected area of the heart, thus saving muscle in the shortest possible amount of time,” said Schweiger.

Learn more about Baystate Medical Center’s life-saving cardiac capabilities or call Baystate Health Link at 413-794-2255.