What Is a Heart Attack?
Heart muscle is supplied with oxygen and nutrients by small channels called coronary arteries. When these coronary arteries are narrowed by the deposit of atherosclerotic plaque on their walls, the tube becomes obstructed and less blood flows to the heart, causing angina (chest pain) and other symptoms.
Sometimes, the coronary arteries become completely and suddenly occluded by a blood clot. This catastrophic reduction of blood flow to heart muscle leads to a heart attack or myocardial infarction. Left untreated, the affected heart muscle will die, leading to serious complications.
What Causes a Heart Attack?
Cholesterol deposited on the walls of the coronary arteries causes narrowing of the blood vessel. During a heart attack, these plaques may rupture. At the site of the rupture, blood clots inside the coronary artery, obstructing it.
If the clot completely occludes the coronary artery, there is no blood flow to heart muscle and a heart attack occurs. Risk factors for heart attack include:
- Age – men older than 45 and women above 55 are at higher risk
- Smoking– all forms of smoking increase heart attack risk
- High blood pressure– when uncontrolled, hypertension is a serious risk factor
- High cholesterol levels – deposited in artery walls, they lead to an attack
- Diabetes– untreated diabetes vastly increases heart attack risk
- Family history– some forms of heart attacks are genetically determined
- Lack of exercise– a sedentary lifestyle predisposes one to heart attacks
- Stress– a high-stress lifestyle creates a recipe for disaster
- Illegal drugs– cocaine and amphetamines are sometimes implicated
Since many people are alone when they suffer a heart attack, without help, the person whose heart is beating improperly and who begins to feel faint, has only about 10 seconds left before losing consciousness.
However, these victims can help themselves by coughing repeatedly and very vigorously. A deep breath should be taken before each cough, and the cough must be deep and prolonged, as when producing sputum from deep inside the chest.
A breath and a cough must be repeated about every two seconds without let-up until help arrives, or until the heart is felt to be beating normally again.
Deep breaths get oxygen into the lungs and coughing movements squeeze the heart and keep the blood circulating. The squeezing pressure on the heart also helps it regain normal rhythm. In this way, heart attack victims can get to a hospital. Tell as many other people as possible about this. It could save their lives!!
Prevention of Heart Attack
A healthy lifestyle and modification of the risk factors can prevent a heart attack and reduce the chance of recurrence.
- Quit smoking
- Check blood pressure and cholesterol regularly
- Keep blood pressure under control through meditation, yoga, and medication
- Control high cholesterol level with diet and drugs
- Exercise regularly
- Maintain healthy weight
- Treat diabetes and control blood glucose levels
- Eat nutritious, heart-healthy food
- Control stress
- Drink only in moderation, if at all