WILMINGTON, N.C. (AP) - Bruce Plent thought the pain in his chest was a bad case of indigestion. But instead of going to the emergency room, he waited until his doctor's office opened to find out what was wrong.
At age 41, the Wilmington man had suffered a heart attack. Despite the fact that he worked out daily and ate healthy, family history apparently played a role. Plent's father had a heart attack at age 44.
More than 1 million people in the United States have a heart attack each year when blood flow gets blocked and cannot get to heart muscles, causing damage from a lack of oxygen. The American Heart Association says about half of those people die from the attacks.
Though the risk of heart attacks increases with age, cardiologists say they're seeing more patients in their 30s and 40s.
There is good news for younger patients, though: Those who survive the first 24 hours after a heart attack usually have a better outlook for recovery.
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