DALLAS, June 1 /PRNewswire/ -- The American Heart Association has launched a Web site that features comprehensive resources for people who want to prevent -- or have had -- a heart attack.
The free site, accessible through the association's main home page at http://www.americanheart.org , offers two pathways: Prevention and Life After Heart Attack. The prevention area focuses on the ABCs - Avoid Tobacco, Be More Active and Choose Good Nutrition. Other prevention resources include a detailed explanation of risk factors, Healthy Heart Quizzes that help users understand their Heart IQ, and a Heart Attack Risk Assessment test.
Survivors can learn about their experience and heart condition in greater detail, including valuable information on how to recover. Comprehensive charts with detailed medical illustrations explain diagnostic tests and procedures, cardiac surgeries and cardiac medications. The site also provides FAQs, patient information sheets, treatment options, links to support groups and tools to help survivors live a healthier lifestyle to reduce their risk of another heart attack.
"This new heart attack site is one of the most comprehensive on the Web and represents true 'one-stop shopping'," said Dr. Clyde Yancy, professor of internal medicine/cardiology at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. "It features many useful tools available to help both patients and caregivers. It takes a lot of the guesswork out of searching the Internet for information on diet, exercise, procedures and medications -- all things that must be considered to prevent and treat heart attacks."
A heart attack discussion group on the Web site brings patients and caregivers together to ask questions, discuss and compare treatments, and seek advice and comfort from those facing similar medical circumstances. This interactive feature builds on the association's successful launch of forums for people managing cholesterol, arrhythmia, high blood pressure, heart failure and others.
"We're living in a time where more and more people are seeking out information and communicating with others via the Internet," Dr. Yancy said. "For many patients and their caregivers, talking with others who have had similar experiences is a great comfort and gives them a sense of community."
The American Heart Association's heart attack site is accessible at http://www.americanheart.org/heartattack .
About the American Heart Association
Founded in 1924, the American Heart Association is the nation's oldest and largest voluntary health organization dedicated to reducing disability and death from cardiovascular diseases and stroke. These diseases, America's No. 1 and No. 3 killers, claim more than 910,000 lives a year. In fiscal year 2004-05 the association invested over $473 million in research, professional and public education, advocacy and community service programs to help all Americans live longer, healthier lives. To learn more, call 1-800-AHA-USA1 or visit http://www.americanheart.org .
American Heart AssociationCONTACT: Elizabeth Moreno of American Heart Association, +1-214-706-1644,or elizabeth.moreno@heart.org
