Death Of The Heart Muscle
Back to Heart DiseaseWhat is Heart Disease
There are many types of heart disease. About 25% of all Americans have one or more types of cardiovascular disease.The major types of heart disease are atherosclerosis, coronary, rheumatic, congenital, myocarditis, angina and arrhythmia.
Heart disease can arise from congenital defects, infection, narrowing of the coronary arteries, high blood pressure, or disturbances.
The first stages of heart disease are lesions and cracks forming in the blood vessel walls normally at the points of highest pressure or stress (near the heart). The second stage is the body trying to repair itself by depositing fatty substances (cholesterol, lipoproteins) inside the blood vessels to fill the cracks.
Over time, without the proper body nutrient, vitamin C, to help keep the blood vessel walls from cracking and requiring constant repair, these fatty substances can begin to build up and clog the blood vessels causing stroke and heart attack
A heart attack is also called a myocardial infarction or an MI. Myocardial refers to the myocardium, the heart muscle. Infarction is tissue death due to a local lack of oxygen
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Early warning Signs
A heart attack occurs when the heart muscle does not get the blood it needs for its nourishment.The heart depends on special blood vessels, called coronary arteries to supply it with nutrition and oxygen. If these arteries become blocked, then the part of the heart that depends on them can become injured. A permanent injury to the heart muscle is called a heart attack.
Early treatment is crucial for heart attack victims. Prompt cardiopulmonary resuscitation, or CPR, can save a life. Quick treatment with drugs that break up blood clots can greatly improve a person's chance of surviving a heart attack. Since early treatment makes a difference, it is important to know the early signs of a heart attack.
Signs of a heart attack may be one or more of the following:
Discomfort in the center of the chest that lasts for more than a few minutes, or that goes away and comes back. It can feel like uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, fullness or pain.
Discomfort in other areas of the upper body, such as pain or discomfort in one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw or stomach.
Shortness of breath, which often comes with chest discomfort but can occur before the chest discomfort.
Other signs such as breaking out in a cold sweat, nausea, or lightheadedness.
What Causes a Heart Attack?
The most common cause of heart attack is the sudden blockage of one of the heart's arteries by a blood clot. These clots typically form in arteries that are already affected by atherosclerosis - that is, the arteries are narrowed by fatty deposits of plaque and other materials.Click Here to read the Seven Steps to a Healthy Heart
How Does Atherosclerosis Cause a Heart Attack?
Atherosclerosis can cause a heart attack in one of three ways. The fatty plaque can cut off blood supply by completely blocking a coronary artery.
The plaque can tear or rupture, causing a blood clot to form. The blood clot may become large enough to close off the artery. This type of heart attack is called a coronary thrombosis or coronary occlusion.
Narrowed arteries may not be able to supply enough oxygen-rich blood. This could cause the heart to beat with an abnormal rhythm called an arrhythmia.
What Else Might Cause a Heart Attack?
Sometimes heart attacks occur when an artery goes into a temporary spasm, cutting off blood supply to the heart. If the spasm is severe enough, it can cause a heart attack. The cause of these spasms isn't understood. They can occur both in blood vessels that appear normal and in vessels that are partially blocked by plaque.
In rare cases, heart attacks may be the result of other conditions. These could include the following:
an abnormal tendency of the blood to clot called hypercoagulability
collagen vascular disease such as rheumatoid arthritis or systemic lupus erythematosus
cocaine use
a small traveling blood clot called an embolus that gets stuck in a coronary artery
Heart Disease Prevention and Cure
Some forms of heart disease can be prevented.To prevent coronary heart disease, one must exercise consistently, have a low salt and low fat diet, restrain from smoking and lose a couple of pounds if overweight.
Healthy diets also help prevent heart disease
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Preventing Heart Disease
Given the prevalence of cardiovascular disease, there are many good reasons to take prevention to heart!Certain risk factors increase the likelihood that you will develop cardiovascular disease. The three big risk factors are smoking, high blood pressure and high cholesterol.
Smoking
Quitting smoking is important. And today, theres a lot of support available to patients, from counseling to medications, which can help people overcome addictions to nicotine. UConn cardiologists urge patients to speak to medical professionals if they need help breaking the habit.
High Cholesterol
Reducing saturated fat and cholesterol in your diet, shedding excess weight and exercising can help you lower your cholesterol. If no improvement in cholesterol is seen after these modifications are made, your physician may recommend cholesterol-lowering medications.
These days, there are many options to help patients get their cholesterol under control. For example, a class of anticholesterol drugs known as statins has been available since 1985 and has very few side effects.
High Blood Pressure
Blood pressure should normally be less than 140/90 mm Hg. Blood pressure that stays above this level is considered high. Diet, exercise and medication can help to improve blood pressure. Also, note that blood pressure is highest in the morning, so you need to check it several times during the day to get an accurate reading.
Y! Health Heart & Vascular Health News
- Prevention clinics help control heart fatal (Reuters)
Reuters - In 1999, UK researchers reported that patients with coronary heart disease who attended nurse-led prevention clinics had reductions in death and heart disease events at one year. In 2003, the same team reported that patients who switched to the clinics later on had "caught up," to the point where there were no longer differences between the two groups. - Doctors match machines in spotting heart disease: study (AFP)
AFP - A routine examination by a doctor works almost as well as an electrocardiogram -- better known as an ECG or EKG -- in predicting heart disease, according to a study published Friday. - Heart Failure Accounts for 37% of Medicare Spending (HealthDay)
HealthDay - WEDNESDAY, Nov. 12 (HealthDay News) -- Medicare beneficiaries with heart failure have many more doctor visits and take more medications than those without heart failure, researchers are reporting. - Illness beliefs shape prevention program adherence (Reuters)
Reuters - Individual beliefs about heart disease, including its symptoms, controllability, likely duration, and consequences influence adherence to secondary prevention regimens designed to reduce risk, researchers report. - Fat hormone may help predict heart failure: study (Reuters)
Reuters - High levels of a hormone made in fat cells may be a strong indicator of the onset of heart failure, U.S. researchers said on Wednesday. - Beta Blocker Use Questioned in Non-Heart Surgery (HealthDay)
HealthDay - MONDAY, Nov. 10 (HealthDay News) -- An analysis of 33 studies on drugs known as beta blockers has concluded that they are not useful in any surgical procedure other than heart surgery. In fact, using beta blockers for non-coronary surgery may actually increase the risk of stroke, the scientists say. - Long-Term Help Regimen Cut Heart Attack Recurrence (HealthDay)
HealthDay - TUESDAY, Nov. 11 (HealthDay News) -- Heart attack survivors can significantly reduce their risk of non-fatal coronary recurrence by participating in an intensive, long-term prevention program, according to an Italian study that included 3,240 patients. - Study Questions Screening Heart Attack Patients for
Depression (HealthDay)
HealthDay - TUESDAY, Nov. 11 (HealthDay News) -- There's not enough evidence to support a recent American Heart Association (AHA) call to automatically screen heart patients for depression, according to international experts who contend the "premature" recommendation would consume a vast amount of resources without any proof it would improve patient care. - After Decades, Decreases in Heart Risk Factors Level Off (HealthDay)
HealthDay - TUESDAY, Nov. 11 (HealthDay News) -- Three decades of a pronounced reduction in risk factors for heart disease is slowing considerably. - New test superior for detecting heart failure in ER (Reuters)
Reuters - A new blood test to identify heart failure patients in most dire need of treatment when they turn up at an emergency room complaining of shortness of breath proved better than current tests, according to results of a study unveiled on Tuesday.
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