Sep. 22, 2009 (United Press International) -- Ninety percent of heart patients say being diagnosed with heart disease was a wake-up call to live a healthier lifestyle, a U.S. survey indicates.

The survey, conducted by GfK Roper for the Hearts in Harmony public education program, also found 88 percent view having a second chance at life as an opportunity to treat their body with more respect.

However, almost 30 percent of patients who have experienced a heart event due to a condition known as acute coronary syndrome discontinued at least one of their prescribed heart medications three months after hospital discharge.

The survey of 800 heart patients age 40 years or older also says the emotional toll that a heart event can have on patients is often under-appreciated.

Hearts in Harmony, sponsored by Mended Hearts, Daiichi Sankyo Inc. and Eli Lilly and Co. (NYSE:LLY) , provides heart patients with information about the physical, and often overlooked, emotional aspects of recovering from a heart event.

The survey also says 17 percent strongly agreed that they were worried about having a heart attack in the future. Suffering one attack increases the likelihood of experiencing another.

The telephone survey, conducted July 10 to Aug. 4, has a margin of error of 3.4 percentage points.