Heart attack, which is also known as acute myocardial infarction, is the world’s leading mortality cause. Annually, an average of 1.2 million Americans suffer from a heart attack. Forty percent of these cases result in death. An interruption of the blood flow to a particular region of the heart characterizes this heart condition. A shortage of oxygen is caused by this interruption resulting in tissue damage and eventually tissue death.

A history of stroke, atherosclerotic heart disease or angina and abnormal heart rhythm pose a higher risk of experiencing a heart attack. While mostly affecting men over 40 years old and women over 50 years old, there are also medical and scientific studies stating that the use contraceptive pills among women cause a higher risk of a heart attack than those who does not use them. Another factor that increases a person’s chances of having a heart attack is his lifestyle. Among the risk factors that should be avoided are smoking, drinking, drug abuse, eating foods with high triglyceride levels, high LDL levels and low HDL levels. Individuals diagnosed with diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure and high stress levels, on the other hand, are also considered to be at serious risk.

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Chest pains, nausea, shortness of breath, vomiting, sweating, palpitations and anxiety are among the signs to be expected in a person having a heart attack. It is the males who often go through these symptoms while in females, symptoms also include fatigue and weakness. At least 30 percent of all myocardial infarction incidents have no visible symptoms and are considered to be “silent” infarctions as evidenced by medical investigations.

A heart attack incident requires immediate medical attention to the person suffering it, to prevent sustained heart damage. Aside from receiving oxygen, glyceryl trinitrate and aspirin, a series of diagnostic test including an electrocardiogram, blood test and chest X-ray will also be undergone by persons having a heart attack. Levels of troponin or creatine kinase which usually indicates heart tissue damage will be determined by these tests. Thrombolytic therapy or percutaneous coronary intervention is the most common treatment approach to be performed. A bypass surgery will be done to unblock the affected coronary artery on severe cases.

Intense exertion, both psychological and physical often than not trigger a heart attack. Pneumonia and other acute severe infections can also cause heart attacks. A clinical history of chest pains that lasts for more than 20 minutes puts a person at risk of having a heart attack. He will also have ECG readings that is continually changing and fluctuating levels of serum cardiac biomarkers as well.

Regular blood pressure monitoring and lifestyle change implementation reduces the risk of recurrence among people who survived a heart attack. They should not be allowed to smoke, drink excessively and must be encouraged to exercise regularly as well as eat a well-balanced diet and take long-term medication. These medications include antiplatelet drug therapy (aspirin), beta blocker therapy (metoprolol), ACE inhibitor therapy, statin therapy, aldosterone antagonist agent eplerenone and omega-3 fatty acids.

Heart attack complications are very likely to occur immediately. These complications can include congestive heart failure, myocardial rupture, pericarditis, life-threatening arrhythmia and cardiogenic shock. As the effects of a heart attack happen quite rapidly, this underscores the fatality of heart attacks. Read more about Heart Attack Signs.

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