Heart attack – symptoms, factors affecting and possible treatments

One of the most common ailments among the people of the modern world, heart attack or heartburn occurs when there is a chance of obstruction of blood flow towards the heart muscle, caused by a possible blood clot in a particular artery or vein. This reduces the supply of oxygen to the heart as well, which can result in immediate loss of breath and deterioration of the health of your heart, and in severe conditions, it can result in death as well.

Following is a thorough description of the various symptoms and factors related to the condition of heart attack, and what all possible treatments and care which one needs to undergo in this health condition:-

Symptoms of a heart attack:-

1. Chest pain – This is the most common symptom which one faces during the oncoming of a heart attack. When the attack actually happens, one might experience unbearable pain in the center of the chest, which may or may not go after a few minutes.

2. Pain in other parts of the upper body – While chest pain is the most obvious symptom of a heart attack, one must not ignore the pain which can happen in other parts of the upper body, such as the neck, shoulders, arms, or stomach. If the pain persists for longer than required followed by chest pain, it can lead to a heart attack.

3. Breathlessness – This is more common in cases of people suffering from chronic asthma-related issues. Before the heart attack, one might experience breathlessness which may or may not be followed by pain in the chest or other parts of the upper body.

4. Lightheadedness – If one is facing a situation when he/she is about to faint or feel that his body is feeling heavier than his head, chances are that he/she might be having a little circulation of blood towards the brain. This is basically called lightheadedness and is one of the clear symptoms of a heart attack.

5. Cold sweating – If one experiences sweating even under normal room or cold temperature conditions from the face or palms, this is usually one of the rare symptoms of a possible heart attack. In such conditions, it is followed by chest pain or lightheadedness.

Factors affecting heart attack:-

1. Age – People who are usually aged above 60-65 years are more prone to the possibilities of a heart attack. In such age groups, the flow of blood is affected if one is suffering from other ailments like diabetes and high blood pressure.

2. Hereditary chronic ailment – Even if someone is aged below 60-65 years, and is still is in his/her adolescence or youth if one is suffering from a chronic ailment hereditary from his/her ancestors like obesity, diabetes, and high blood pressure, it increases the chances of a possible heart attack.

3. Lack of exercise – If one is practicing regular exercise and workout, he/she will be lesser prone to the possibility of a heart attack, as it ensures the regularity of the flow of blood and healthy practice of clean eating.

4. Gender – Studies have shown that men are more susceptible to the conditions of a heart attack more than women.

Treatments of a heart attack:-

1. Bypass surgery – As the name suggests, bypass surgery involves rerouting the flow of blood around the exact spot where the particular blockage which has led to a heart attack is spotted.

2. Valve surgery – In this operation, the doctor replaces the valves leading to your heart which are leaking due to heart attack, which enables a smoother pumping operation of blood.

3. Angioplasty – This operation involves the process in which the blocked artery is opened up using a balloon, and a wired mesh is inserted into that particular artery, in order to facilitate the flow of blood through the required passage.

4. Heart transplant – In case the damage caused to most of the tissues of your heart is severe, then the heart transplant is considered to be the best and most optimum solution, in order to reduce the possibility of a greater fatality.

5. Medications – Some of the medicines which are usually prescribed by a doctor during the various treatments of heart attack are blood thinners (anti-platelets), nitroglycerin, pain killers and aspirin, apart from clot-breaker drugs and pain killers.

A heart attack is usually an ‘out of the blue’ phenomenon, which can happen suddenly. In such cases, the patient should be rushed to the hospital as nearby as possible. For ensuring optimum treatment of it, the doctors in the emergency ward in a hospital do attend the concerned patient for preliminary treatment, followed by a thorough treatment by a professional cardiologist.