Heart Attack: Causes, Prevention & Medication

 

With an unbalanced, stressful, and unhealthy lifestyle that most of us have started living, the risk of heart attacks has exponentially grown. The rising cases of heart attacks, especially in India, are problematic & alarming. 

Heart Attacks can be caused by decreased or blocked blood flow towards the heart. This disturbance in blood flow can be caused by a boost in factors like fat or cholesterol. These factors carry substances known as plaque that is deposited in the arteries. At times a plaque can rupture and form a blood clot that will hinder the smooth flow of blood. Any disturbance in the blood flow can destroy or cause serious damage to the heart muscle.

 

Symptoms

A person may feel the undermentioned symptoms in case of a heart attack.

• Chest pain or discomfort

One may feel pain in the middle or left side of their chest with some discomfort like difficulty in breathing or certain heaviness in their chest.

• Feeling weak, cold sweats, or drowsiness.

A person may also feel sudden weakness and like they are about to faint. Some me sweat immensely and may faint.

• Pain and discomfort in arms or shoulders

Generally, one may feel shooting pain in their arms or shoulders, moving towards the heart.

• Pain and discomfort in the jaw, neck, or back

Another area where one may feel discomfort or pain during a heart attack.

• Difficulty in breathing

Apart from the discomfort in the chest or heaviness, one may also find it difficult to breathe.

• Nausea or vomiting

Few may experience symptoms like nausea or vomiting as well.

As soon as one experiences these symptoms themselves or sees anyone else going through them, the first thing to do is rush to the hospital to seek professional medical help. It's wise to seek a doctor at first sight of these symptoms to prevent damage to the heart muscle. 

Various Causes of Heart Attack

In medical terms, any type of disturbance or blockage in blood flow can cause a heart attack. However, a medical professional can verify the exact cause of a heart attack after running the necessary tests.

Some of the common causes of a heart attack include:

• A partial or complete blockage of Arteries

A heart attack can happen in both cases, and it just varies in the damage caused to the heart muscle. Even a small blood clot can cause disturbance in blood flow and block the arteries by forming plaque.

• Coronary artery spasm

In such a situation, the blood vessels squeeze. The squeezing is generally caused by plaque, smoking or other risk factors which harden the blood vessel. 

• Certain Infections

Infections in certain body areas can cause serious damage to the heart, causing a heart attack, especially with infections like covid-19.

• Spontaneous coronary artery dissection

A very serious condition caused by a tear in the heart artery.

How to Prevent Heart Attack?

A heart attack can be prevented by following a healthy, stress-free lifestyle. Doing so may be difficult considering the lifestyle we have these days, but we can reduce this by making small changes like:

• Avoid smoking or use of any tobacco products.

• Keep yourself active, and walk for at least 30-60 minutes every day.

• Follow a healthy diet by limiting the consumption of salt, sugar, saturated fats and processed carbohydrates.

• Get a good amount of sleep (generally suggested time is 8 hours for adults)

• Maintain a healthy weight (maintain a weight that is healthy for you and doesn't put you under the category of overweight or obese)

• Try not to take a lot of stress.

• Limit alcohol use

• Get regular checkups to know the highs and lows of your body and prevent any unfortunate disease, not just heart attack.

No one can still promise that doing all this will prevent heart attack as certain factors are not under our control. But following these steps can decrease the chances of heart attack by a huge amount.

Read Also: Valsartan: Remedy for Blood Pressure and Heart Attack

Heart Attack Medications

It is best to take a piece of advice from the professionals and not consume just any medication.

Some of the popular medications include:

• Aspirins

• Medications with blood thinners

• Nitroglycerin

• Morphin

• Statins

• Beta-Blockers

• Clot Busters

Certain medications can have side effects, so never take any medication without consulting your doctor. As different medications may work for different patients, it's best to leave it to the doctors to decide.

Conclusion

Heart attacks are easily becoming a common phenomenon with the unhealthy and stressful time we live in. More and more younger people succumb each day to heart attacks these days. This isn’t a good scenario, which can only be prevented by following a healthy lifestyle and stress-free environment with good habits.

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