Heart attacks have been quite common in the previous few years among the global population. They are, unfortunately, the leading cause of death worldwide. They are a result of our stressed lifestyles and poor eating habits.
Improve your lifestyle to safeguard your cardiovascular health by eating a healthy diet and reducing stress. It’s also important to detect the symptoms of heart failure, which normally appear a month before the heart fails:
1. Insufficiency of oxygen
If your lungs aren’t getting enough oxygen, your heart won’t get the blood it needs to function. As a result, if you’re having trouble breathing, see your doctor right away.
2. Symptoms of the cold and flu
These two symptoms are common in persons who are about to have a heart attack.
3. Pressure in the chest
This is a telltale sign that a heart attack is on the way. If you have chest pain, you should see your doctor right once.
4. Deficiency
When the arteries constrict, blood flow is restricted. As a result, the muscles aren’t getting the nutrients they require, potentially leading to heart failure. As a result, if you’re constantly tired and weak, you should see a doctor.
5. Dizziness and cold sweats
Poor circulation obstructs appropriate blood flow to the brain, which is necessary for proper brain function.
6. Tiredness
If you’re still weary and drowsy after sleeping or relaxing for a while, and it lasts for days and days, you may have a problem with blood flow to your heart.
Heart attack prevention is critical; recognizing and treating the above-mentioned symptoms early will considerably reduce the risk of a heart attack.
When the blood supply to the heart is cut off, a heart attack develops. The most common cause of blockage is a buildup of fat, cholesterol, and other chemicals in the arteries that supply the heart, forming plaque (coronary arteries).
A plaque can break and generate a clot, obstructing blood flow. Parts of the heart muscle can be damaged or destroyed if blood flow is disrupted.
Although a heart attack, also known as a myocardial infarction, can be fatal, therapy has vastly improved over the years. If you think you’re experiencing a heart attack, contact 911 or get emergency medical care right away.
Symptoms
The following are some of the most common signs and symptoms of a heart attack:
In your chest or arms, you may feel pressure, tightness, pain, or a squeezing or hurting sensation that may move to your neck, jaw, or back.
Nausea, indigestion, heartburn, or abdominal pain are all symptoms of a stomach bug.
Breathing problems
I’m breaking out in cold sweat.
Fatigue
Sudden dizziness or lightheadedness
The signs and symptoms of a heart attack differ.
Not everyone who has a heart attack experiences the same symptoms or degree of symptoms. Some people experience modest pain, while others experience very severe agony. Some persons have no signs or symptoms. For others, abrupt cardiac arrest may be the first symptom. The larger the number of signs and symptoms you experience, the more likely you are to suffer a heart attack.
Although some heart attacks occur unexpectedly, many patients have warning signs and symptoms hours, days, or weeks beforehand. Recurrent chest pain or pressure (angina) that is provoked by exercise and eased by rest could be the first sign. Angina is a condition in which blood flow to the heart is temporarily reduced.
When should you see a doctor?
Take action right away. Some people wait too long because they are oblivious to the key indications and symptoms. Follow these steps:
Obtain immediate medical assistance by dialing 911. Don’t wait if you think you’re suffering a heart attack. Call 911 or your local emergency number right away. Have someone drive you to the nearest hospital if you don’t have access to emergency medical care.
Only drive yourself if you have no other options. Driving yourself puts you and others at risk since your condition may worsen.
If your doctor has prescribed nitroglycerin, take it. While you wait for help, take it as directed.
If aspirin is prescribed, take it. Taking aspirin during a heart attack may help prevent cardiac damage by preventing blood clotting.
However, aspirin can interfere with other medications, so only take it if your doctor or emergency medical staff advise you to. Call 911 right away if you need to take an aspirin. To begin, dial 911 for immediate assistance.
What should you do if you think someone is having a heart attack?
If you encounter someone who is unconscious and suspects they are suffering a heart attack, call 911 immediately. Check to see if the individual is breathing and has a pulse. Only start CPR if the person isn’t breathing or if there isn’t a pulse to be found.
Push forcefully and fast on the person’s chest in a rapid rhythm of 100 to 120 compressions per minute.
Doctors advise just administering chest compressions if you haven’t been trained in CPR. If you’ve had CPR training, you can move on to opening the airway and performing rescue breathing.
Causes
When one or more of your coronary arteries get clogged, a heart attack occurs. Plaques are formed when fatty deposits, including cholesterol, build up over time, narrowing the arteries (atherosclerosis). The most common cause of heart attacks is coronary artery disease.
A plaque can break during a heart attack, spilling cholesterol and other chemicals into the bloodstream. At the site of the breach, a blood clot forms. If the clot is large enough, it can restrict blood flow through the coronary artery, denying oxygen and nourishment to the heart (ischemia).
The coronary artery may be completely or partially blocked.
You’ve experienced an ST-elevation myocardial infarction if you have a total blockage (STEMI).
You’ve experienced a non-ST elevation myocardial infarction if you have a partial blockage (NSTEMI).
Depending on the type you’ve had, your diagnosis and treatment may change.
A spasm of a coronary artery, which cuts off blood flow to a portion of the heart muscle, is another cause of a heart attack. Tobacco usage and illicit drugs like cocaine can result in a life-threatening spasm.
Infection with COVID-19 can also harm your heart, resulting in a heart attack.
Factors that are at risk
The undesired buildup of fatty deposits (atherosclerosis) that narrows arteries throughout your body is caused by a number of circumstances. Many of these risk factors can be improved or eliminated to lessen your chances of having a heart attack for the first or second time.
The following are some of the factors that increase your chances of having a heart attack:
Age. Men and women over the age of 45 and 55 are more likely than younger men and women to have a heart attack.
Tobacco. This includes smoking and long-term secondhand smoke exposure.
Blood pressure that is too high. High blood pressure can damage the arteries that lead to your heart over time. High blood pressure combined with other health problems, such as obesity, high cholesterol, or diabetes, raises your risk even more.
High cholesterol or triglyceride levels in the blood. A high amount of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol (“bad”) is the most common cause of artery narrowing. A high amount of triglycerides, a type of blood fat linked to your food, also raises your chances of having a heart attack. High levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol (“good”), on the other hand, may reduce your risk.
Obesity. High blood cholesterol, high triglyceride levels, high blood pressure, and diabetes are all connected to obesity. This risk can be reduced by losing merely 10% of your body weight.
Diabetes. Your body’s blood sugar levels rise when you don’t produce enough of a hormone generated by your pancreas (insulin) or don’t respond to insulin adequately, raising your risk of a heart attack.
Metabolic syndrome is a condition in which the body’s metabolism is disrupted Obesity, high blood pressure, and excessive blood sugar all contribute to this syndrome. If you have metabolic syndrome, you’re twice as likely to get heart disease as someone who doesn’t.
Heart attacks run in the family. You may be at higher risk if your siblings, parents, or grandparents experienced heart attacks at a young age (by age 55 for men and 65 for women).
Insufficient physical activity. Obesity and high blood cholesterol levels are linked to inactivity. Regular exercise improves heart health and lowers blood pressure in people.
Stress. Stress may cause you to react in ways that increase your risk of a heart attack.
Use of illegal drugs. Stimulant substances, such as cocaine or amphetamines, can produce a coronary artery spasm, which can lead to a heart attack.
Preeclampsia is a condition that occurs when a woman is pregnant. This disorder causes high blood pressure during pregnancy and raises the risk of heart disease throughout one’s life.
An autoimmune disease. An illness like rheumatoid arthritis or lupus can raise your chances of having a heart attack.
Complications
Complications are frequently linked to the damage to your heart that occurs during a heart attack, which can result in:
Heartbeats that are abnormal (arrhythmias). Electrical “short circuits” can occur, causing aberrant heart rhythms, some of which can be fatal.
Heart failure is a serious condition. A heart attack may cause so much damage to your heart tissue that the remaining heart muscle is unable to pump enough blood out of your body. Heart failure can be a short-term or long-term condition caused by substantial and permanent damage to your heart.
Cardiac arrest occurs suddenly. An electrical disruption generates an irregular heartbeat, and your heart quits without warning (arrhythmia). Heart attacks raise the risk of abrupt cardiac arrest, which can result in death if not treated quickly.
Prevention
Even if you’ve already experienced a heart attack, it’s never too late to take precautions to prevent another. There are a few things you can do to avoid having a heart attack.
Medications. Medications can help your damaged heart work better and minimize your risk of a subsequent heart attack. Continue to take your medication as directed by your doctor, and inquire about how often you should be monitored.
Factors related to one’s way of life Maintaining a healthy weight with a heart-healthy diet, quitting smoking, exercising frequently, managing stress, and controlling illnesses that might contribute to a heart attack, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes, are all good ideas.
