The term heart attack has become a common medical term that everyone knows. In India, it is estimated that every year over 30 lakh people suffer heart attacks, of which over 50% suffer from fatal heart attacks. The increasing rate of the population suffering from cardiovascular diseases has also increased the number of people that suffer from heart attacks drastically. Today in India, cardiovascular diseases are the number one reason for people’s death, and over 80% of those deaths occur due to heart attacks. This problem is not just in India but globally as well; cardiovascular diseases, which lead to heart attacks, are the leading cause of death among people of various age groups. So, what is a heart attack, and why is it so lethal? Let’s find out!

What is a Heart Attack?

A heart attack (also known as myocardial infarction) is a condition where the blood flow to your heart is restricted, causing your heart to stop functioning due to the lack of oxygen. When your heart stops functioning, the blood flow of your entire body comes to a stop. This causes tissue death in your heart, which can cause serious damage to the muscles of your heart and even death.

What Are The Causes of a Heart Attack?

Heart attacks are caused by the restriction of blood flow to the heart. The condition can be caused by various factors, but it is mainly due to the person suffering from any cardiovascular disease. The main arteries that provide oxygenated blood to your heart are the coronary arteries. When these arteries are blocked due to the build-up of plaque on the artery walls, you can experience a heart attack. The plaque build-up is caused due to coronary artery diseases.

In other scenarios, you can also suffer from a heart attack if there is a spasm in your coronary artery, which cuts off the blood supply to your heart. The spasm can be caused by a condition known as ischemia. This condition can cause people who don’t suffer from any cardiovascular diseases also to suffer from a heart attack. However, you should know that ischemia is rare and doesn’t occur commonly, even among heart attack patients.

What Are The Tell-Tale Symptoms of a Heart Attack?

The symptoms of a heart attack can differ according to your gender, so here are the tell-tale signs of a heart attack.

Heart Attack Symptoms for Men

Discomfort, heaviness, or pressure in your chest
Sharp pain in your chest below your breastbone or your arm
Shortness of breath, dizziness, and physical weakness
Uneven heartbeat
The feeling of choking or heartburn
Vomiting, sweating, and upset stomach

Heart Attack Symptoms for Women

Breathlessness
Lightheadedness or dizziness
Nausea and/or vomiting
Discomfort or pressure in your upper back or neck
Feelings of indigestion or discomfort in your gut

What Are The Treatment Options for a Heart Attack?

The treatment of a heart attack depends on its severity. For a mild heart attack, doctors might prescribe you medication to stop blood clots from forming in your arteries and ease the strain on your heart. However, in case if you have a serious heart attack, you need to be rushed into the emergency, and you might need surgical intervention. These are some of the common surgical procedures performed on heart attack patients.

Balloon angioplasty
Bypass surgery
Stent placement

How Can You Prevent a Heart Attack?

You have to ensure optimum heart health as you age to keep yourself safe from a heart attack. This includes

Regular exercising
An active lifestyle
A focus on a healthy diet
Abstinence from smoking and excessive drinking

These are some of the key practices that will help you prevent heart attacks and keep your heart healthy.

As heart attacks become more common, awareness of their risk is crucial among people. Additionally, it is necessary for people over 30 to go through regular doctor visits to ensure their heart health is optimum. Awareness and changes in lifestyle are crucial to keeping your heart healthy. So, if you or your loved ones are suffering from any cardiovascular diseases or you would like to learn more about lifestyle changes that would help you keep your heart healthy, feel free to visit Medipulse hospital. Medipulse is the best tertiary care hospital in Jodhpur, Rajasthan. You can check out the hospital website for more information.

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What is a Heart Attack & what you should know about it