Heart Attack
(Myocardial Infarction)
What is a heart attack?
A heart attack (myocardial infarction) is the death of heart muscle due
to the loss of blood supply. Usually, the loss of blood supply is caused
by a complete blockage of a coronary artery(an artery that supplies
blood to the heart muscle) by a blood clot.
What are the features of a heart attack?
Pain: is the cardinal symptom of a heart attack. The pain is often
described as a tightness or heaviness in the chest. It is often severe
enough to be the worst pain that can be experienced. the usual location
of the pain is in the center of the chest but it frequently radiates to
the left arm or the jaw.
Some heart attacks though can pass unrecognized; these painless attacks
are called as ‘silent infarcts’ and are particularly common in
diabetics.
Anxiety: fear of impending death.
Breathlessness,
Nausea and vomiting,
Sweating, pallor and a fast pulse.
Sudden death: loss of blood supply disturbs the
orderly transmission of electrical impulses in the heart and as a result
the heart stops to effectively pump blood. Permanent brain damage and
death can occur unless oxygenated blood flow is restored within five
minutes. Approximately 40% of people suffering a heart attack die before
reaching to the hospital.
What causes a heart attack?
A heart attack is almost always caused by the formation of a blood clot
on a cholesterol plaque located on the inner wall of an artery to the
heart (coronary artery). It is believed that the process of formation of
these plaques starts in the late teens. Over a period of time the
accumulation of cholesterol plaque causes thickening of the artery walls
and narrowing of the arteries; a process called atherosclerosis.
Many factors have been found to influence this plaque formation. It can
be accelerated by smoking, high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol,
and diabetes. Whereas, factors like exercise, low fat diet, avoiding
stress seem to help in retarding this process.
