The silent invasion - Heart Attack and its Warning Signs
Heart attack is a myocardial infarction caused by reduced blood supply to a certain part of the heart due to the narrowing or blockage of blood vessels (vein or artery blockade). Decreased perfusion can lead to cellular hypoxia, which in turn, can provoke hyperactivity of the cardiac myocytes. Without oxygen, the oxygen deprived myocytes die since oxygen is a vital component, this occurs when there is not enough oxygen in the blood or if the supply of blood which carries oxygen is stopped or interrupted. When enough myocytes die, heart failure occurs, a condition in which the heart muscle loses its pumping function. A heart attack is usually accompanied by angina.
Without good blood circulation, myocytes die, resulting in organ dysfunctioning with a massive flow of antibodies, pain and heart failure.
The etiology of HA A stroke can be a life threatening situation and therefore it should be dealt with seriously!! If you think you're having a heart attack, call 911 immediately. It could be a false alarm but better safe than sorry.
Signs and symptoms:
Common signs and symptoms of a heart attack include:
- Chest discomfort and angina pectoris or chest pain that lasts more than 15 min but less than 30 usually
- Shortness of Breath or dyspnea with any minimal movement
- Aches that radiate to your back, neck, jaw, shoulders and left arm
- Nausea and lightheadedness due to panic
Symptoms:
During a heart attack, one may feel an uncomfortable central pain behind the sternum migrating to the left part of the upper body (left arm, and back) or to the jaw, this pain usually lasts more than 15 minutes but not more than 30 minutes; however, patients may experience different degrees of pain, depending on the severity and the type of the attack. Besides one will experience uncomfortable pressure or squeezing in his chest.
Shortness of breath is also a major sign of a stroke, which does not have to be necessarily accompanied by chest pain or any other heart attack symptoms.
Other common signs and symptoms of a heart attack include discomfort in other parts of the body, patients usually have pain in one or both arms, pain in the back, in the neck, jaw or stomach. These pains migrate from the central pain in the chest.
Nausea and lightheadedness are also common symptoms of a heart attack. Other symptoms include: vomiting or palpitations.
Heart attacks affect people regardless of their background, color, or race; however, heart attacks are more common in men than in women. It hits men more than women by a ratio of 2:1, it can strike women in any stage of their lives.
Elderly people are more likely to experience these symptoms more frequently than young men and youth boys.
It is known that Heart attacks may occur while having sex but this happens most of the times among the older age groups, and especially men taking Viagra or any other sexual provoker, that usually causes hypertension that increases the risk of plaque rupture. Atherosclerotic plaques are the main cause of poor circulation (poor blood flow) and thus plaques increase the risk of heart disease.
Treatment:
HA is a life threatening incidence that needs hospital-based emergency management, and is usually treated in two ways, either surgically (angioplasty, stent placement) or by non surgical procedures, such as by placing a high pressure oxygen mask, securing an intravenous line in the arm, and administration of medications. Medicines used to treat HA include nitrates (nitroglycerine), antiarrhythmics drugs (amiodarone or cordarone), antithrombotic drugs (aspirin, low molecular weight heparin), diuretics (thiazides). medications are administered while imaging and routine blood tests are being taken, as prompt therapy reduces the mortality rate. Further tests and cardiac biomarkers allow for more accurate diagnosis.
Prognosis: HA is a life changing event, and in most cases, strokes reoccur in a period of 5 years.
Prevention is better than cure, thus we encourage people to have a healthier lifestyle, by exercising more, eating foods rich with omega 3, omega 6, vitamin c, vitamin b12, folic acid. People are advised to reduce sugar intake and to stop eating foods that contain saturated fats, as they raise the level of blood cholesterol and can lead to cardiovascular diseases such as atherosclerosis.
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