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Heart Attack Symptoms and Prevention

heart attackA heart attack, also known as a myocardial infarction, occurs when part of the heart muscle is damaged or dies due to lack of oxygen. Oxygen is carried to the heart by the arteries . Most heart attacks are caused by a blockage in these arteries. Usually the blockage is caused by atherosclerosis, which is the buildup inside the artery of fatty deposits which are called plaque. This buildup is like the gunk that builds up in a drainpipe and slows the flow of water.

Heart attacks can also be caused by a blood clot that gets stuck in a narrow part of an artery to the heart. Clots are more likely to form where atherosclerosis has made an artery more narrow.

How do I know if I'm having a heart attack?

The pain of a heart attack can feel like bad heartburn. You may also be having a heart attack if you:

  • Feel a pressure or crushing pain in your chest, sometimes with sweating, nausea or vomiting.
  • Feel pain that extends from your chest into the jaw, left arm or left shoulder.
  • Pain often lasts longer than 20 minutes or goes away and comes back.
  • Bad indigestion
  • Feel tightness in your chest.
  • Having shortness of breath for more than a couple of seconds.
  • Nausea or vomiting
  • Cold Sweat
  • Cough
  • Anxiety

Do NOT ignore pain or discomfort that could be from a heart attack. If you think you are having heart problems or a heart attack, get help immediately. The sooner you get treatment, the greater the chance that the doctors can prevent further damage to the heart muscle.

What should I do if I think I am having a heart attack?

Call for an ambulance to take you to the hospital. While you wait for the ambulance to come, chew one regular tablet of aspirin.  Do not take the aspirin if you're allergic to aspirin.

If you can, go to a hospital with advanced care facilities for people with heart attacks. In these medical centers, the latest heart attack technology is available 24 hours a day. This technology includes rapid thrombolysis ("clot busting" medicines), cardiac catheterization and angioplasty.

In the hospital, you might be given "clot busters" that reopen the arteries to your heart very fast. Nurses and technicians will place an IV in your arm to give you medicines. They will also do an electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG), give you oxygen to breathe and watch your heart rate and rhythm on a monitor.

How can I avoid having a heart attack?

Talk to your family doctor about your specific risk factors for a heart attack and how to reduce your risk. Your doctor may tell you to do the following:

  • Quit smoking. Your doctor can help you.
  • Eat a healthy diet. Cut back on foods high in saturated fat and sodium to lower cholesterol and blood pressure.
  • Control your blood sugar if you have diabetes.
  • Exercise. This sounds hard if you haven't exercised for a while, but try to work up to at least 30 minutes of aerobic exercise (that raises your heart rate) at least 4 times a week.
  • Lose weight if you're overweight. Your doctor can advise you about the best ways to lose weight.
  • Control your blood pressure if you have hypertension.

Talk to your doctor about whether aspirin would help reduce your risk of a heart attack. Aspirin can help keep your blood from forming clots that can eventually block the arteries.

Risk factors for a heart attack

  • Smoking
  • Diabetes
  • High cholesterol level
  • High blood pressure
  • Family history of heart attack
  • Atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries)
  • Lack of exercise
  • Obesity
  • Male