Heart Attack And Cholesterol

By Author: Sulamita Berrezi
Total Articles: 115
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You say, Heart attack. Your doctor says, Myocardial infarction. Either way, heart attacks occur when the blood supply to your heart muscle is suddenly reduced or completely shut off. This reduction in blood supply is most commonly caused by a piece of plaque that breaks off from an artery wall, triggering the formation of a blood clot. That is why a coronary artery filled with a lesser amount of soft plaque (which can break off easily) is more dangerous than an artery filled with hard plaque. The damage caused by a heart attack is due directly to how long the artery is blocked and how long your heart muscle and your brain don't get the oxygen they need. Clearly, the faster a heart attack victim gets medical attention, the better his or her chances of surviving with minimal damage. Pressure or pain in the center of your chest that lasts longer than a few minutes. Some people describe the pain as feeling like an elephant is sitting on their chests. Pain that starts in your chest and spreads out to your shoulders, up your neck, to your jaw, or down your arms.Pain in your chest plus,Feelings of lightheadedness,Nausea or heavy sweating,Shortness ...
... of breath,All of these symptoms, all at once .This list sounds definitive, but it isn't. Diagnosing a heart attack is tricky business because any one of the symptoms listed above — on its own, without any pain — may also be a heart attack alert. Sometimes, simple lightheadedness (what an awkward word) or nausea is the body's way of saying, Listen up! We're in trouble here! This is especially true for women who, as a group, are likely to experience much less severe heart attack symptoms than men do. The lesson? Better safe than sorry. Chest pain or a feeling of tightness (sometimes described as a rubber band tightening around your chest) or pressure (sometimes described as an elephant sitting on your chest) that comes on with exertion such as walking up a slight hill, especially in cold weather, or climbing an ordinary flight of stairs that hadn't caused problems in the past is a suspicious symptom. You should see your doctor or go to the emergency room immediately lest your symptoms signal an imminent heart attack. As soon as you suspect that someone is having a heart attack, the American Heart Association recommends taking (or giving) one 325-milligram aspirin. The aspirin is a blood thinner. According to the AHA, taking the aspirin at the onset of symptoms lowers the risk of dying by 23 percent. Would you believe that only 20 to 40 percent of all heart attack victims follow this simple recommendation that the AHA insists could save 10,000 lives a year?