Poll reveals how little Canadians know about heart disease, stroke

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We all have a heart, but we seem to know very little about it.

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That’s among the findings of a new Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada survey released Wednesday that says despite one in two Canadians having been personally affected by heart disease or stroke, there is little understanding around risk factors, signs, symptoms and what to do in case of a serious medical emergency.

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Among the study’s key findings are that one in three Canadians do not understand that cardiac arrest (when the heart stops beating) and a heart attack (a blockage stopping blood flow) are two different conditions.

Another major discovery is that one in three Canadians do not know that the signs of a heart attack can be different in women and beside chest pain, they may experience shortness of breath, pressure or pain in the lower chest or abdomen, dizziness, upper-back pressure or extreme fatigue.

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“I think the top takeaway is that many people in this country don’t know enough about heart disease and stroke — and it’s just raising awareness,” said Dr. Sherryn Rambihar, a staff cardiologist at Mackenzie Health and an adjunct assistant professor in the cardiology division at the University of Toronto’s Department of Medicine.

“In the last few years, there’s been an uptick in deaths and it’s part likely due to epidemics of diabetes, obesity and metabolic disease,” Rambihar said. “What I found particularly interesting is that the fastest growing heart disease death rate risk right now is younger woman (aged 45-64). And it’s kind of concerning because we’ve narrowed the gaps in many things.

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“We have great treatments now. We have medications and tools for prevention, but what’s a little bit frightening is that when we look at the data at death increasing in younger women, it’s on track to eclipse cancer. We usually think of heart disease as a disease of older people, but it’s migrating to younger people.”

The poll also says one in three Canadians think it’s difficult to recognize the signs of stroke if you’re not a trained health-care professional.

The FAST acronym is an easy way to remember the most common signs, including:

— Face – is it drooping?

— Arms – can you raise both?

— Speech – is it slurred or jumbled?

— Time – to call 911 right away.

The survey was conducted by Environics Research with 2,003 Canadians aged 18 and older online between May 29 and June 9.

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