During A Heart Attack
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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The Death of the Heart Muscle
The death of the heart muscle due to the loss of blood supply. The loss of blood supply is usually caused by a complete blockage of a coronary artery, one of the arteries that supplies blood to the heart muscle.Death of the heart muscle, in turn, causes chest pain and electrical instability of the heart muscle tissue.The electrical instability of the heart causes ventricular fibrillation (chaotic electrical disturbances affecting the ventricles, the lower chambers of the heart). Orderly transmission of electrical signals in the heart is important for the regular beating (and the efficient pumping) of the heart.
A heart undergoing ventricular fibrillation simply quivers and can not pump or deliver oxygenated blood to the brain. Permanent brain damage and death can occur unless oxygenated blood flow is restored within five minutes.
Many heart attack deaths are due to ventricular fibrillation that occurs before the victim can reach any medical assistance or the emergency room. These electrical disturbances of the heart can often be successfully treated with medications or other means by paramedics in the "field," or upon arrival to the hospital.
Approximately 90-95% of heart attack victims who reach the hospital survive. The 5-10% who later die are those who have suffered major heart muscle damage, or who suffer an "extension" or enlargement of their 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.
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
Click Here to get the Home-use total cholesterol test
What are the risk factors for heart disease
There are a number risk factors for heart disease. These include:Obesity - This can be treated through proper diet and exercise. Your doctor can help you develop a plan that works for you.
Diet - The U.S. Department of Agricultural guidelines recommend two to three servings of fruits and three to five servings of vegetables each day. Also, watch dietary cholesterol intake.
Red meat has much more cholesterol than fish or skinless chicken. Aim to decrease your consumption of red meat. There is increasing evidence that fish may be your healthiest option. Certain fish contain a polyunsaturated fatty acid, called omega-3.
Inactivity - Physical inactivity and a sedentary lifestyle are risk factors for heart disease. The NHLBI suggests most people try to get 150 minutes of physical activity each week. Check with your doctor to assess risk factors for heart attack before starting any type of physical program.
Family History - Anyone with a family history of heart disease needs to have a thorough cardiology exam so a personalized heart disease prevention program can be implemented.
Diabetes - A complication of diabetes is heart disease. Studies show that long-term control of blood sugar can reduce the risk of cardiovascular problems down the road. Patients with diabetes are urged to talk to their physician about cardiovascular disease.
Hormones - Women rarely experience heart attacks before menopause. Researchers believe that estrogen offers some protection against the blood vessel blockage that causes heart attacks and strokes. But new research suggests that estrogen replacement therapy is not as protective as once thought. Certainly, hormone replacement isnt for everyone women need to discuss the benefits and risks with their physician.
Y! Health Heart & Vascular Health News
- Cancer to Surpass Heart Disease as World's Leading Killer (HealthDay)
HealthDay - TUESDAY, Dec. 9 (HealthDay News) -- By 2010, cancer will be the leading killer in the world, surpassing heart disease, causing more deaths than AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis combined. - Cancer to pass heart disease as No. 1 killer (Reuters)
Reuters - Cancer is on pace to supplant heart disease as the No. 1 cause of death worldwide in 2010, with a growing burden in poor countries thanks to more cigarette smoking and other factors, global health experts said on Tuesday. - Women's Death Rate Higher From Severe Heart Attack (HealthDay)
HealthDay - MONDAY, Dec. 8 (HealthDay News) -- Women who suffer the most severe form of heart attack are twice as likely as men to die in the hospital, a new study finds. - Study: Gender gap remains for heart attack care (AP)
AP - Women hospitalized with heart attacks still don't get the treatment they need and are more likely to die than men if they suffer a massive heart attack, a new study of U.S. hospitals shows. - Heart attack patients get 'big chill' treatment (AP)
AP - It took five mighty shocks to get Cynthia Crawford's heart to start beating again after she collapsed at Ochsner Clinic a few weeks ago. - Rapid Response Teams Don't Cut Hospital Heart Attacks, Death
Rates (HealthDay)
HealthDay - TUESDAY, Dec. 2 (HealthDay News) -- Hospital rapid response teams, created to prevent cardiac arrest and deaths in critically ill patients, do not seem to work, a new study finds. - Gene "silencing" drug blocks heart disease in mice (Reuters)
Reuters - An international research team has identified a tiny piece of genetic material that plays a key role in heart failure, and shown how an experimental compound prevents the condition in mice, scientists reported on Sunday. - Treating depression seen important in heart failure (Reuters)
Reuters - Depression increases the risk of death in patients with heart failure, but the risk apparently disappears with antidepressant use, according to a study. - Bad Bosses Are Hard on the Heart (HealthDay)
HealthDay - TUESDAY, Nov. 25 (HealthDay News) -- Burdened by an overbearing boss? Your heart may pay the price, according to new research. - Depression's Behavior Changes Linked to Heart Risks (HealthDay)
HealthDay - TUESDAY, Nov. 25 (HealthDay News) -- Negative changes in health behaviors are a major reason why heart patients with depression have an increased risk of cardiovascular events such as heart attack, say U.S. researchers who followed 1,017 outpatients with stable coronary heart disease for an average of 4.8 years.
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