Heart Attack – Causes, Symptoms, Prevention

Heart Attack – Causes, Symptoms, Prevention

Heart Attacks, also known as myocardial infarctions (MI), is a medical emergency that occurs when there is a blockage of blood flow. When this happens, the cardiac muscles are restricted to oxygen it needs.

Definition

This is a condition where the cardiac muscles die due to restricted blood flow to the heart. 

When there’s a buildup of plaque inside the blood vessel, The heart muscles are restricted from getting blood, oxygen, and nutrients leading to a heart attack.

Causes

The factors below increase your likelihood;

• Heart surgery
• Age – Patients are mostly in their middle age. If you are above 45, you are at risk
• Stress
• Overweight
• High blood pressure – The amount of blood passing through the blood vessels while the heart is pumping. When this is consistently high, It makes arteries tighter, restricting blood flow to your heart.
• Diabetes – if your body does not respond well to insulin, you are at high risk of a heart attack.

Symptoms

• Shortness of breath
• Tightness, discomfort or pain in your Chest 
• Indigestion
• Lightheaded/dizziness 
• Feeling tired easily

Prevention

To reduce your likelihood of developing it, you should live a healthy lifestyle. The following are things you could do to reduce your chances.

1. Exercise – Doing 30-40 minutes of exercise daily could reduce your chances of developing it.
2. Stop smoking
3. Controlling high blood pressure and diabetes.
4. Losing weight if overweight 
5. Eating healthy