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