Full Fact provides independent, evidence-based fact checks about heart attacks and related health claims.
We investigate misinformation about symptoms, causes, prevention and treatment—drawing only on reliable medical evidence and guidance from trusted bodies such as the NHS, NICE and the British Heart Foundation.
Each article is reviewed for scientific accuracy and explains where claims are unsupported or misleading.
Health
There’s no medical evidence that coughing can help during a suspected heart attack, and many credible organisations have warned against it. Read
Health
Incorrect social media posts claiming coughing really hard can help a heart attack are circulating online again. Read
Health
People having a heart attack should call an ambulance immediately. The idea that they should cough to protect themselves is a common myth that’s been spreading for more than 20 years. Read
Health
The newspaper mistakenly referred to people having heart attacks when discussing access to public defibrillators. The devices should be used in cardiac arrests only—a different condition. Read
Health
The Mayor of London’s new book recounts a health scare in 2021 which may have been a heart attack. Some reports mistakenly called this a cardiac arrest, which is a different condition. Read
Health
A widely shared video on TikTok and Instagram exaggerates and misrepresents the risks of vaping. Read
A screenshot from Google Translate appears to show the translation, but this isn’t the meaning of the words in Latin. Read
Health
Advice that coughing vigorously could save you in the event of a heart attack is incorrect and could make things worse. Read
A Facebook post misleadingly suggests that the vaccines are causing all sorts of previously rare health problems, including heart attacks in children. Read
Health
A collection of articles reporting on possible links between certain factors and heart attacks do not show “you can’t do anything without risking a heart attack”. Read
