Millions of Americans are vulnerable to sudden heart attack.

Cardiologists have deemed "vulnerable patients" as those individuals with a high likelihood of developing cardiac events in the near future. What puts an individual at increased risk? Having one or more of these conditions:

• vulnerable plaques (see information on the Heart Attacks and What Causes It? pages)
• being prone to thrombosis, or the formation of clots which can obstruct blood vessels
• vulnerable myocardium (prone to fatal arrhythmia, or irregular heartbeat)

Association for Eradication of Heart Attack - AEH © 2003
Naghavi et al. Circulation. 2003; 108:1664.

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