To Life!

HEALTH

Mother speaks from personal experience
about undiagnosed heart disease.

Jason Schwartz

died at 25 of a

heart attack.

Dispelling Myths

Myth 1 Sudden car-
diac arrest and heart
attack are the same.
FALSE. Sudden cardiac arrest

is a condition in which the
heartbeat stops abruptly and
unexpectedly. It can result from
a heart attack, respiratory
arrest, electrocution, drowning,
choking, trauma or unknown
causes. It may occur independ-
ently from a heart attack and
without warning signs. It can
result in death if not treated
immediately.
A heart attack is a condition
in which a blood clot suddenly
blocks a coronary artery, result-
ing in the death of heart muscle
supplied by that artery. Heart
attack victims usually experi-
ence chest discomfort and usu-
ally remain awake and respon-
sive. Heart attacks are serious
and sometimes lead to sudden
cardiac arrest. With symptoms,
call 911 immediately.

Myth 2 — There is no
way of knowing whether
a person is in cardiac
arrest.

FALSE. During sudden car-
diac arrest a person could col-
lapse and become unresponsive,
stop normal breathing or lose
signs of circulation — no
breathing, coughing or move-
ment. Call 911 immediately and
start CPR.

26

Leonard Poger
Copy Editor

Myth 3 Chest pain is
the only warning sign of
a heart attack.
FALSE. Most attacks involve

discomfort in the center of the
chest that lasts more than a few
minutes, or that goes away and
comes back. Discomfort or pain
also can happen in one or both
arms, the back, neck, jaw or
stomach. Shortness of breath
often accompanies chest dis-
comfort, but it can occur before
the chest discomfort. Not all of
these warning signs occur in
every heart attack. Call 911
immediately.

Myth 4 Cardiac arrest
is a rare medical emer-
gency.
FALSE It usually kills more

Americans than the next seven
leading causes of death com-
bined, including cancer, acci-
dents, pneumonia, influenza,
diabetes and suicides. Heart
attack is one of the primary
causes of cardiac arrest. Each
day about 95 percent of
Americans who suffer sudden
cardiac arrest die before reach-
ing the hospital. This equates to
more than 600 deaths each day
or 220,000 deaths a year.

For information on CPR
training courses, call the
AHA at 877-AHA-4CPR or
visit www.cpr-ecc.org . For
general information, see
www.americanheart.org .

ackie Schwartz of Novi
wants to be a lifesaver — so
she's urging people to have
early check-ups, with an empha-
sis on investigating the family's
health history to avoid undiag-
nosed heart disease.
Schwartz's campaign comes
from the heart. Her son, Jason,
died unexpectedly three years
ago from severe coronary artery
disease. He was only 25.
She was shocked because her
son, who had regular physical
exams, had no symptoms of a
problem, no warning signs, no
pain or pressure in his chest, no
labored breathing and no evi-
dence of any health problem.
"Fatigue wasn't in his vocabu-
lary," she said. "He was a hand-
some young man who seemed so
vibrant and healthy."
Schwartz delivered her
remarks to about 25,000 people

j

taking part in the Sept. 17 Heart
Walk, sponsored by the
Metropolitan Detroit chapter of
the American Heart Association
(AHA) at the Southfield Civic
Center.
Despite a light drizzle, it was
the group's largest turnout, said
Cindy Hawken, the AHNs senior
communications director. The
walkers raised an estimated $2
million, about as much as last
year.
Schwartz also has shared her
story at other AHA events.
She and husband, Michael,
owners of Home Accessory
Warehouse in Walled Lake, also
are concerned for their other son,
Jeffrey, 24, who takes cholesterol
medication and aspirin daily.
Since Jason's death, Schwartz
has learned a lot about the prob-
lem from the AHA and the fami-
ly's cardiologist, Dr. Shukri David
of Providence Hospital.
Schwartz said her goal now "is
to make sure no other parent has

to bury his or her child from this
killer disease."
Dr. David pointed out that half
of all heart attacks have no warn-
ing signs, with death occurring
within one hour of an attack.
"A gradual buildup of plaque
in the patient's arterial wall
accelerates [heart attacks] for
those with risk factors, such as
being overweight or a smoker," he
said. He also urged families to
have cholesterol count tests as
well as a stress test using a tread-
mill.
To help prevent such tragedies,
he said people should know their
family health history.
When she spoke at the Heart
Walk, Schwartz said, "The unfor-
tunate reality for both my sons is
they share a genetic history of
early onset heart disease" that
she and her husband didn't know
about.
"Had we known the facts, per-
haps Jason's life could have been
saved," she said. ❑

Jason, Michael, Jackie

and Jeffrey Schwartz

October 6 2005

