According to the Resuscitation Council UK, there are approximately 115,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests which are reported to ambulance services in the UK each year. At population level, this is roughly equivalent to one reported out-of-hospital cardiac arrest for every 600 people in the UK each year.
However, this does not mean that every person has the same annual risk. Your personal risk may be lower or higher depending on factors such as age, biological sex, family history and underlying heart conditions. In this article, you’ll learn who is at greater risk and how you can protect yourself.
What is the difference between a heart attack and cardiac arrest?
To understand your risk, it is vital to distinguish between these two medical emergencies. While often used interchangeably, they are very different:
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During a heart attack, also known as a myocardial infarction, a coronary artery suddenly becomes completely or partially blocked. This results in the heart receiving insufficient oxygen. While the heart continues to pump blood, prolonged oxygen deprivation will cause damage to the heart muscle. Ultimately, a heart attack can lead to a cardiac arrest.
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Cardiac arrest occurs when the heart suddenly stops pumping blood around the body. The person collapses, loses consciousness, and does not breathe normally anymore.
Who is at greater risk?
The following factors can affect your risk of heart and circulatory disease and cardiac arrest.
Age
The risk of cardiac arrest and serious heart and circulatory disease generally increases with age. 55-65% of cardiac arrests occur in people aged 65 or over.
Although cardiac arrest in young people is very rare, it’s not impossible. It can even occur in children. About 2% of out-of-hospital cardiac arrests happen to children. Read more about child resuscitation in this article.
As you get older, the pumping power of your heart gradually decreases, and your arteries become less flexible. The heart has to work harder to pump blood through stiffer vessels, which raises blood pressure and makes the heart muscle thicker and less flexible. This can lead to various heart diseases.
For example, high blood pressure can damage the walls of blood vessels, allowing substances such as cholesterol to accumulate, which narrows the blood vessels and can ultimately lead to a heart attack.
Biological sex
Women under 65 have a lower risk of heart disease than men of the same age. This is because the sex hormone oestrogen offers women a certain degree of protection. After menopause, oestrogen levels decline and this protective effect decreases significantly. As a result, the risk of developing heart disease increases.
Women generally develop heart disease later than men, but that certainly doesn’t mean they’re immune. According to the British Heart Foundation, coronary heart disease kills twice as many women as breast cancer in the UK each year. In addition, there are certain heart problems that affect women more often.
When we look specifically at cardiac arrest however, men are at greater risk. 60 to 65% of out-of-hospital cardiac arrests occur in men.
Family history and genetic predisposition
An inherited tendency for certain cardiovascular diseases can also increase your risk of cardiac arrest. For example, there are heart rhythm disorders in which heredity can play a role. Likewise, a predisposition to high blood pressure or high cholesterol can raise the risk of heart and vascular diseases.
According to the British Heart Foundation, you have a strong family history of a condition if:
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Your father or brother was diagnosed at the age of 55 or younger.
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Your mother or sister was diagnosed at the age of 65 or younger.
How can lifestyle affect your heart health?
You can’t change your age, biological sex, or genetic predisposition. Fortunately, you can change your lifestyle. An unhealthy lifestyle can increase the risk of heart and circulatory disease. These conditions can, in turn, increase the risk of cardiac arrest. Below, we discuss several lifestyle factors that can affect your heart health and may increase the risk of conditions linked to cardiac arrest.
Smoking
Smoking significantly increases your risk of cardiovascular disease. According to the British Heart Foundation, at least 15,000 people in the UK die each year from cardiovascular disease caused by smoking.
According to the British Heart Foundation, smoking has the following negative effects on your body:
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It damages your blood vessels, making it easier for fat and cholesterol to accumulate. This can lead to narrowing of the arteries and eventually a heart attack.
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Smoking constricts your blood vessels, reducing the amount of oxygen your blood can carry.
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It increases your risk of blood clots and inflammation.
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It raises your heart rate, blood pressure, and cholesterol levels.
Being overweight, Unhealthy Eating, and Lack of Exercise
Being overweight is also a risk-increasing factor. It raises your chances of:
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High blood pressure and high cholesterol.
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Arterial calcification and heart attack.
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Diabetes, which is also a risk factor for cardiovascular disease.
Belly fat is especially risky because it causes inflammation, which can damage blood vessels and lead to diabetes, arterial calcification, and eventually a heart attack.
In addition, the extra weight forces the heart to work harder, which can make the heart muscle stiffer. This makes it more difficult for the heart to fill with blood and pump it around the body.
Healthy Eating
Even without being overweight, an unhealthy diet remains a risk factor. Too much saturated fat raises cholesterol, and too much salt can increase blood pressure.
Lack of Exercise
The same goes for insufficient physical activity. The National Health Service recommends that adults aged 19 to 64 do around 2.5 hours of moderate physical activity each week. It also advises doing muscle strengthening exercises and spreading physical activity evenly throughout the week.
According to the British Heart Foundation, regular physical activity can reduce the risk of coronary heart disease and stroke by as much as 35%. Exercise keeps your heart and blood vessels strong, improves circulation, and helps maintain healthy cholesterol and blood pressure levels.
Stress
When you’re stressed, your heart beats faster, your blood pressure rises, and your body produces the stress hormones adrenaline and cortisol. In the short term, that’s not necessarily a problem.
However, when stress becomes long-term, it’s a different story. The British Heart Foundation mentioned that research has found a link between stress and a slightly higher risk of coronary heart disease and stroke. Stress may also make outcomes worse for people who already live with heart or circulatory conditions.
Also stress can lead to:
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An unhealthy lifestyle, such as poor eating habits and smoking.
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Higher blood pressure and cholesterol.
Alcohol Consumption
Regular or excessive alcohol consumption can harm your heart and circulatory system. The British Heart Foundation advises that, if you drink alcohol, you should have no more than fourteen units per week, equivalent to six pints of beer or six glasses of wine per week and spread this over at least three days to keep the risk as low as possible.
Alcohol increases the risk of:
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High blood pressure.
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Heart rhythm disorders.
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Heart attack or stroke.
What can you do to protect yourself?
Anyone can experience cardiac arrest, and some groups are at higher risk. However, a healthy lifestyle can reduce your risk of heart and circulatory disease, which may in turn reduce some of the factors linked to cardiac arrest. Important measures include:
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Quit smoking. This is the most effective way to lower your risk of cardiovascular disease.
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Eat as healthily as possible. Limit saturated fats and salt, and keep your weight under control, especially belly fat.
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Exercise regularly. The National Health Service recommends 2.5 hours of moderate physical activity per week, such as brisk walking, cycling or mowing the lawn.
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Pay attention to hereditary factors. Do your family members suffer from cardiovascular disease at a young age? If so, it may be wise to discuss this with your GP.
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Learn to manage stress and seek help if needed. Physical activity can help reduce stress.
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Limit alcohol. Ideally, don’t drink at all, or otherwise no more than six pints of beer or six glasses of wine per week.
By following these tips, you keep the risk as low as possible. Still, cardiac arrest can happen to anyone, and a wide network of AEDs and volunteer responders can save lives. You can find more information about the steps for using an AED in this article. We also explain it step by step in this video. In addition, you can read about the different types of cardiac arrest so you’ll be even better prepared.