Heart Attack – What You Need to Know Now Before Its Too Late

A heart attack, also known as a myocardial infarction, occurs when the blood supply to the heart muscle is blocked or reduced, depriving heart tissue of oxygen and nutrients. Within minutes, heart cells begin to die.

Causes of a heart attack

The most common cause of a heart attack is a blood clot that blocks a coronary artery. Coronary arteries are blood vessels that supply blood to the heart muscle. Blood clots can form when plaque, a fatty substance that builds up on the walls of the arteries, ruptures.

Other factors that can increase the risk of a heart attack include:

• High blood pressure
• High cholesterol
• Diabetes
• Smoking
• Obesity
• Family history of heart disease
• Age (men over 45 and women over 55 are at higher risk)

Symptoms of a heart attack

The most common symptom of a heart attack is chest pain or discomfort. The pain may feel like pressure, squeezing, or fullness in the chest. It may also spread to the shoulders, neck, jaw, back, or arms. Other symptoms of a heart attack may include:

• Shortness of breath
• Nausea or vomiting
• Lightheadedness or dizziness
• Sweating
• Rapid or irregular heartbeat
• Anxiety

Treatment for a heart attack

The goal of treatment for a heart attack is to restore blood flow to the heart muscle as quickly as possible. This can be done with medications to dissolve blood clots or with surgery to remove the clot or widen the blocked artery.

Recovery from a heart attack

The recovery from a heart attack varies from person to person. Some people make a full recovery within a few weeks, while others may have permanent damage to the heart muscle. Recovery depends on the severity of the heart attack and the amount of heart muscle damage.

Preventing a heart attack

The best way to prevent a heart attack is to make healthy lifestyle choices, such as:

• Eating a healthy diet
• Exercising regularly
• Maintaining a healthy weight
• Quitting smoking
• Managing chronic medical conditions, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes

If you have any risk factors for a heart attack, talk to your doctor about how to reduce your risk.

Additional information

• Heart attack symptoms in women: Women may experience different symptoms of a heart attack than men. Some common symptoms of a heart attack in women include:
  • Pain in the neck, jaw, back, or arms
  • Shortness of breath
  • Nausea or vomiting
  • Lightheadedness or dizziness
  • Sweating
  • Anxiety
  • Unexplained fatigue
• Silent heart attack: A silent heart attack is a heart attack that does not cause any symptoms. Silent heart attacks are more common in people with diabetes.
• Recurrent heart attack: A recurrent heart attack is a heart attack that occurs after a previous heart attack. Recurrent heart attacks are more likely to be fatal than first-time heart attacks.

If you have any questions or concerns about heart attack, talk to your doctor.