Heart Attack – Overview:
The prevalence of cardiovascular and heart-related diseases including a Heart Attack has become quite common in India. Considerably, the number of deaths due to heart attacks has surged, with over 28,000 reported in the last three years, according to the report from Accidental Deaths & Suicides India by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCBR)
If a heart attack is not diagnosed and treated within the “golden hour,” the heart muscles begin to die, increasing the chance of mortality and life-threatening conditions.
Risk factors of heart attack prevention:
A heart attack, also known as a myocardial infarction, occurs when the blood supply to the heart is blocked or interrupted. If untreated, this condition could take a life.
Heart attacks can be due to several factors, including the following:
Atherosclerosis
A build-up of plaque in the arteries causes them to become narrowed and stiff. This restricts blood flow to the heart and can lead to a heart attack. The plaque is nothing but a fatty, cholesterol substance.
Heart Rhythm Disorders
Abnormal heart rhythms can cause the heart muscle to start beating irregularly or too slowly. This can disrupt the blood supply to the heart and lead to a heart attack.
Cardiomyopathy
Damage or weakness in the heart muscles can prevent it from pumping blood effectively. The inability of the heart to pump correctly is because of thickened or stiffened heart muscles or filled substances that don’t belong to the heart. Thereby, the heartbeats will be irregular, leading to a heart attack.
The lack of adequate blood/oxygen supply, irregular heart rhythms, and weakness of muscles makes the cardiac muscle die. Eventually, the pumping sequence will be disrupted, which can be life-threatening if not given proper treatment. The restoration of the heart muscle happens only when it is diagnosed and treated with Best Cardiology Hospital in Chennai. .
Any of these leads to chest pain and other potentially life-threatening symptoms.
Look For Symptoms/Signs
The symptoms of a heart attack vary depending on how severe it is and from individual to individual. Some individuals might experience severe symptoms, whereas others have mild symptoms. There is also the case that few individuals will ever experience any symptoms.
However, some heart attacks strike immediately. Individuals have warning signs before hours, days, and weeks.
Some common symptoms include:
Pain or Discomfort In The Chest
The most common symptom of a heart attack is chest pain or discomfort that may radiate down one arm or both arms, across the back, neck, left shoulder, or jaw. The pain may be described as tightness, pressure, heaviness, squeezing, or burning. It usually lasts for more than 15 minutes.
Shortness Of Breath
Many people find breathing difficult during a heart attack due to decreased oxygen levels in their blood. They may feel like they are not getting enough air, no matter how deeply they breathe. They might witness this symptom with or without chest pain. Probably, the most common sign of a silent heart attack.
Excessive Sweating
Perspiration is often seen during a heart attack as your body tries to cool itself down. It does occur due to the activation of the symptomatic nervous system, which is for a fight or flight response.
Feeling Dizzy Or Lightheaded
Dizziness and lightheadedness are common when there is reduced blood flow to the brain and a dramatic drop in systolic blood pressure, which commonly happens during a heart attack.
Nausea Or Vomiting
Many people experience nausea or vomiting during a heart attack due to the formation of acids in the stomach from indigestion problems. Women tend to experience this symptom more than men.
Heart attacks can be fatal if not treated quickly enough.
Factors Influencing The Risk Of A Heart Attack
Several many factors will put individuals at risk of a heart attack. Majorly the dangers are divided into controllable and non-controllable. Genetic factors like gender, age, and family history come under non-controllable. On the flip side, other controllable factors include smoking, alcohol consumption, obesity, stress, blood pressure, cholesterol, and diet.
Gender
The progression of heart disease varies for men and women. For instance, plaque formation in men will be in the largest arteries. At the same time, the plaque formation will be in the smallest blood vessel for women.
The symptoms, risks, diagnoses, and treatments for men and women differ. Men are more prone to heart attacks compared to women and have a higher chance of getting a heart attack in the earliest stage.
Age
On average, a heart attack is possible at an age above 45. Individuals over 65 are most likely to have a higher risk of a heart attack. That might lead to death.
Family history
The risk of a heart attack will be higher if individuals have a family history of heart disease because genetics is similar.
High Blood Pressure & Cholesterol
High blood pressure, as well as cholesterol, would significantly increase the chance of a heart attack.
The risk will be more when too much cholesterol is in the blood. Over months and years, the fatty substance hardens the arteries, and the blood flow is reduced. Individuals with increased blood cholesterol levels tend to have high blood pressure. It is another significant root cause of heart attacks.
Smoking & Alcohol Consumption
Smoking and alcohol consumption dramatically raise the risk of cardiovascular diseases, including myocardial infarction. Binge drinking is associated with promoting overweight. Obese individuals require more blood enriched with oxygen and nutrients. This increases blood pressure and is directly related to cardiovascular risks like a heart attack.
Lifestyle, Stress, & Diet
Improve the quality of life with a good and healthy lifestyle. Undeniably, an unhealthy lifestyle increases an individual’s heart disease risk more than genetics.
Whether stress is minor or significant, it reduces blood flow to the heart muscle, triggering a heart attack.
A balanced diet is vital to meet the essential nutrients required by the body and lead a healthy lifestyle. If the diet is not flat, non-communicable diseases like heart-related ailments occur due to insufficient nutrition.
To Wind up,
It knows the risk factors for cardiovascular diseases like heart attack and takes the fundamental steps to prevent heart-related illness. If this happens, restoring the heart’s functionality is possible through medications and treatment procedures like surgery upon proper diagnosis.