Each year, about 805,000 Americans are expected to have an acute myocardial infarction (AMI), also known as a heart attack. In 2022, 5.8% of Massachusetts residents ages 35 and older reported having been diagnosed with myocardial infarction, or heart attack. Obesity, smoking, and high cholesterol are generally well known to increase risk of heart attack. However, public health researchers have also found that exposure to air pollution, like ozone and particulate matter, can increase the risk of heart attack, especially for the elderly and people with pre-existing cardiovascular conditions.
Cardiovascular disease was the second leading cause of death in Massachusetts in 2021, with Massachusetts’ Indigenous population showing a disproportionately higher rate of disease. This is in line with numbers seen nationwide. Indigenous populations are disproportionately likely to be exposed to environmental chemicals, live with a lower income, and have no to low quality health insurance due to racism and a history of inequitable policies. These factors, along with genetic and social factors, like smoking, increase risk of disease while creating 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 flow 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 from 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 like high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes can increase an individual’s risk of heart attack. Smoking, being obese, and physically inactive are also risk factors.
Environment
Research shows that short- and long-term exposure to air pollution, specifically particulate matter and ozone, are both linked to an increased risk of heart attacks and other forms of heart disease. The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) provides a map of the “Air Quality Index” (AQI) that tells you how clean or polluted your air is and what associated health effects might be a concern for you to consider. For more information, contact MassDEP Air Quality Online.
Secondhand smoke, also known as environmental tobacco smoke (ETS), causes nearly 34,000 premature deaths from heart disease each year in the United States among nonsmokers. Brief exposure to secondhand smoke can have immediate adverse effects on 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 placed low-income communities and communities of color, such as our Indigenous communities, near toxic waste sites, areas with high air pollution, and other environmental exposures. As a result, people living in these communities experience an increase in the risk of heart attack and other forms of heart disease. Heart attack is one of 4 Vulnerable Health Environmental Justice criteria included in Massachusetts’ Environmental Justice Policy.
Additionally, low-income populations and people with less education are disproportionately exposed to second-hand smoke, with children 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. Exposure to air pollution, including particulate matter and ozone, has been linked to a wide range of cardiovascular and respiratory health effects (e.g., decreases in lung function, heart attacks). Sensitive groups such as the elderly, patients with pre-existing heart disease, those who are survivors of heart attack, or those with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are particularly vulnerable. 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.
Heart attack is one severe outcome of heart disease. Even when heart disease isn’t fatal, it can lead to serious illness, disability, and reduced wellbeing. After a heart attack, people commonly experience fatigue, depression, and difficulty in being physically active. Exposure to air pollution has been shown to increase the risk of heart attack, arrhythmias, heart failure and premature death. Climate change is increasing the number of very hot days, and hot days increase the risk of hospital visits for people with chronic conditions including heart disease.
The MA EPHT heart attack hospitalization indicator uses data collected by hospitals and estimates 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, including possible effects of environmental conditions.
Available data
Use the Explore Heart Attack 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.
For more information on this dataset, visit the MA EPHT Metadata webpage.
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