Each year, about 805,000 Americans are expected to have a heart attack. In 2022, 5.8% of Massachusetts residents ages 35 and older reported having a heart attack. Obesity, smoking, and high cholesterol are well known to increase risk of heart attack. However, researchers have found air pollutants, like ozone and particulate matter, can increase risk. This is especially true for the elderly and people with pre-existing conditions.
Heart attack is one severe outcome of cardiovascular disease and can be fatal. Cardiovascular disease was the second leading cause of death in Massachusetts in 2021. The Massachusetts’ Indigenous population had the highest mortality rate from heart disease that same year. This is in line with numbers seen nationwide.
Indigenous populations are disproportionately more likely to be exposed to environmental hazards. They also often live with lower income and have no to low quality health insurance. This is due to a history of racism, discrimination, and inequitable policies. These factors, along with others like smoking, increase risk of disease. The same factors also create barriers to healthcare access and preventative medicine. In Massachusetts, heart disease is also common among low-income populations, regardless of race.
You can use the display to review heart attack hospitalization rates for any city or town in Massachusetts.
What is a heart attack?
A heart attack occurs when the blood that brings oxygen to the heart is greatly reduced or cut off completely. This can happen if the arteries that bring your blood to your heart become narrowed. Narrowing of the arteries is often caused by buildup of fat, cholesterol, or plaque.
What are the symptoms of heart attack?
Though people may experience different symptoms of a heart attack, the most common symptoms are:
- Chest pain or discomfort
- Pain or discomfort in other areas of the upper body (e.g., arm, should, jaw, neck, or back)
- Shortness of breath – with, or without chest pain
- Feeling weak, lightheaded, nauseous or faint
Chest pain is the most common symptom among men and women, but women are more likely than men to experience other common symptoms, like shortness of breath, nausea, and back or jaw pain. Learn more about heart attacks from the American Heart Association.
Who is at risk for heart attack?
There are many things that can contribute to an increased risk for heart attack:
Health
Having certain health conditions can increase an individual’s risk of heart attack. Risk factors include:
- High blood pressure
- High cholesterol
- Diabetes
- Smoking
- Obesity
- Being physically inactive
Environment
Research shows that exposure to air pollution is linked to an increased risk of heart attack. Exposure is also related to other forms of heart disease. The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) provides a map of the “Air Quality Index” (AQI). This map shows how clean or polluted your air is. It also shows what associated health effects might be a concern for you to consider. For more information, contact MassDEP Air Quality Online.
Heart disease can also be caused by smoking and secondhand smoke. Secondhand smoke cause nearly 34,000 premature heart disease deaths in the US. These deaths are among nonsmokers. Brief exposure to secondhand smoke can have immediate adverse effects. It can affect your blood and blood vessels, increasing the risk of having a heart attack.
Social factors
Our health is impacted by the social determinants of health (SDoH). These are the social, economic, and physical factors where we work, live and play.
Historic injustices have made low-income communities and communities of color more likely to live near environmental hazards. These include toxic waste sites and areas with high air pollution. As a result, people in these communities experience increased risk of heart attack and heart disease. Heart attack is one of 4 Vulnerable Health Environmental Justice criteria included in Massachusetts’ Environmental Justice Policy.
Low-income populations are also disproportionately exposed to second-hand smoke. This is also true for those with lower levels of education. Children are especially at risk. Learn more, visit the CDC’s Health Effects of Secondhand Smoke webpage.
How can you minimize your risk of having a heart attack?
A healthy lifestyle can help maintain normal blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol levels, lowering your risk of heart disease and heart attack. Heart-healthy habits include:
- Choose healthy meals that include plenty of vegetables
- Maintain a healthy weight
- Be physically active every day
- Stop smoking
- Limit alcohol consumption
- Manage diabetes
- Reduce stress
To learn more from the American Heart Association on how to reduce your risk of heart disease and other cardiovascular related illnesses.
Why does MA EPHT track heart attack hospitalizations?
Many studies have reported associations between air pollution exposure and heart attacks. For example, exposure to air pollution like particulate matter and ozone. This has been linked to cardiovascular and respiratory health effects. These health effects include decreases in lung function and heart attacks. Those who may be particularly vulnerable include:
- The elderly
- Those with pre-existing heart disease
- Survivors of heart attack
- Those with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
The outdoor air pollutant most linked to heart attacks is particulate matter. The US EPA Air Quality Index (AQI) is an index for reporting daily air quality. The AQI tells you how clean or polluted your air is, and what associated health effects might be a concern for you. Climate change is also increasing the number of very hot days. Increased heat and other aspects of climate change can also affect air quality. This can increase the risk of hospital visits for people with chronic heart disease.
Heart attack is one severe outcome of heart disease. Heart attacks can be fatal. It can also lead to serious illness, disability, and reduced wellbeing. Heart attack survivors can experience fatigue, depression, and difficulty being physically active.
The MA EPHT heart attack hospitalization measure uses data collected by hospitals. This data is used to estimate the number and rate of people who were admitted to the hospital due to heart attack. It can be used to discover trends and patterns in heart attack hospitalizations. These trends can be used to find possible effects of environmental conditions.
Available data
Use the Explore heart attack hospitalization data link on this page to access the following measures:
- Annual number of hospitalizations / ED visits
- Annual crude rate per 100,000 population
- Annual age-adjusted rate per 100,000 population
- Explore data in tables, charts, and maps
MA EPHT presents case counts and crude rates on heart attack hospital admissions for the following geographies: city/town, county, EP region, EOHHS region, and statewide. Measures are offered by a combination of year, age group, and sex. The most current available data is shown. Be sure to check the site periodically as new data is added each year. To protect privacy, no information is shown that could identify an individual.
Additional resources
Massachusetts
- MA DPH Heart Disease Prevention and Control: Information on heart disease and stroke in Massachusetts
- MA DPH What is a Heart Attack?: General information on heart attacks, their causes and the signs and symptoms
National
- American Heart Association: Information on risk factors and coronary heart disease
- Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) survey data: Prevalence and trends data for cardiovascular disease (after choosing a location, select Class = “Chronic Health Indicators” and cardiovascular disease will be shown as an option under Topics)
- CDC Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention: Information on risk factors for heart disease and stroke along with resources for data, statistics, maps, and publications
- Health People 2030: Heart Disease and Stroke: Information on heart disease and stroke from the Healthy People Initiative of the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (ODPHP). Healthy People provides science-based, 10-year national objectives for improving the health of all Americans
- National Environmental Public Health Tracking: Heart Disease & Stroke: Contains information on heart disease and the environment as well as tools for searching national data
- U.S. EPA Particulate Matter: Information on impacts of particulate matter on health and environment