HEART ATTACK’S

Picture this scenario; you're watching T.V. with your elderly father who is laughing at a sitcom when all of a sudden he clutches his chest in pain. He seems panicked and says he has pain radiating from his chest right down to his arm. He has hassle catching his breath and he has broken out into a fine sweat. you've got never seen him like this before; you're feeling helpless and don't understand what's wrong. What are you aiming to do?

WHAT MAY BE A HEART ATTACK?

A heart attack, conjointly referred to as myocardial infarction, is caused by the formation of a clot due to the accumulation of plaque in one of the coronary arteries. The clot, or thrombus, stops the flow of oxygen to the rest of the center muscle. the center tissue deprived of oxygen begins to die. in keeping with the Mayo Clinic, half the individuals experiencing a heart attack die in the initial hour because they're not familiar with heart attack signs and symptoms.

Coronary heart disease is one of the main causes of heart attacks. it's occurs when cholesterol begins to accumulate in the arteries. this can be referred to as atherosclerosis. Having a heart attack, or displaying any of the associated symptoms, may be a very serious state of affairs that demands immediate medical attention.

HOW COMMON ARE HEART ATTACKS?

A heart attack isn't an uncommon incident. Approximately 1 million individuals visit a hospital once a year in the U.S. in the throes of a heart attack. for each five deaths in the U.S., one is caused by a heart attack.

SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF  HEART ATTACK

There are several totally different signs and symptoms of a heart attack. The symptoms are going to be totally different given a human age, sex and health history.

	Men	Women
Symptoms	Pain within the middle of the chest  Pain radiating from chest to arms, neck, jaw, back, abdomen	Same symptoms though perhaps less evident for ladies
	Having bother respiratory	Having bother respiratory
	Sweating	Sweating
	Feeling faint	Feeling faint
	Nauseous	Nauseous, indigestion
	Unbearable pressure and feeling of doom	Fatigue, anxiety
Average Age	About sixty-six	About seventy
Number Affected Every Year	223,000	267,000

 RISK FACTORS

There are a number of factors which will greatly increase your risk of heart attack. In several cases, easy lifestyle changes will reduce your risk.

ü      Smoking or exposure to second-hand smoke

ü      High blood pressure

ü      High cholesterol

ü      Sedentary lifestyle and obesity

ü      Having diabetes

ü      Being overstressed

ü      Excessive alcohol consumption

ü      Inherited predisposition for heart attack

ü      Elevated levels of homocysteine, C-reactive protein and fibrinogen in blood

EARLY WARNING SIGNS OF A HEART ATTACK

Certain early warning signs may be felt days or weeks ahead of a heart attack. a crucial early sign is persistent angina, when there is insufficient blood flow to the center. this can be brought on by serious labor or lifting.

In general, men are more in danger of suffering a heart attack than girls, but a woman's risk will increase after menopause, at around age 55. you've got more risk of developing heart disease if your father had heart disease before the age of 55 or if your mother had heart issues before age 65.

TREATMENT AND PROGNOSIS

You may be wondering what's going to happen after you've got a heart attack. Normally, you'll be medically evaluated and a program are going to be developed for your specific desires. Some hospitals provide heart attack patients with a cardiac rehabilitation program. These programs concentrate on keeping track of your physical health through differing kinds of testing, show you the way to keep up a fitness regimen, provide diet and nutrition education as well as psychological support. Programs will last from three to 6 months.

Medicare or insurance plans typically cowl cardiac programs but it's a decent plan to double check this with your native hospital and state laws.

PREVENTION IS KEY: WHAT YOU'LL DO TO LOWER YOUR RISK OF HEART ATTACK

To prevent a heart attack or reduce the probability of a other, doctors will advise you on heart medications and lifestyle considerations. Medications help to form the center perform more efficiently, and can include:

ü      Blood thinning medications or anticoagulants, like aspirin or Plavix, that forestall blood clots.

ü      Beta blockers that decrease heart rate and blood pressure

ü      Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, that increase blood flow from your heart

ü      Cholesterol lowering medications

You will even be given lifestyle recommendation such as:

ü      Quit smoking

ü      Have your cholesterol checked regularly

ü      Have commonplace medical check-ups

ü      Check blood pressure regularly

ü      Get regular exercise

ü      Eat a nutritious diet

ü      Take time to relax and reduce stress

ü      Do not drink too much alcohol

STRESS CHECK

In the weeks following your heart attack, you will be asked to endure a stress check. During a stress check, you'll exercise on a motorbike or treadmill in order that doctors will live how well your heart and arteries function underneath stress. This check is done periodically for all heart patients to monitor their current heart health.