Heart Attack Prevention

Throughout the world 30% of the mortalities are due to heart disease. Even though there have been many technological advances in medicine, especially cardiology, the death rate is still high. This is due to the fact that many persons die before getting access to these medical equipments. Most people are unaware that they are experiencing a heart attack until the symptoms are extremely severe and there’s too little time left to stop the damage to the heart. Thus, many individuals die on their way to the hospital.

All this can be prevented if people are informed about the different risks and symptoms associated with myocardial infarcts. The most common factor predisposing to a heart attack is atherosclerosis, which is a hardening and thickening of the arteries. Atherosclerotic plaques cause arterial narrowing and they can also rupture and cause thrombosis (blood clots in the veins) which then dislocate and travel to the heart. Both of these mechanisms limit blood supply to the heart and with no oxygen the tissues die. The risk factors for atherosclerosis are high cholesterol, smoking, hypertension, diabetes, lack of physical activity, male gender and aging.

Symptoms of heart attack are: chest pain which can radiate to the neck, jaw, left shoulder and down the left arm. Usually the pain is longer than 20 minutes and is not relieved by rest or any medications. Although the chest discomfort may be very severe, this is not always the case. In fact, 25% of patients that have a myocardial infarction are asymptomatic during the acute event. This is common especially for diabetics, who do not feel any pain because of peripheral neuropathy (nerve degeneration). If you experience a similar pain that is not relieved in maximum 10 minutes with rest or drugs, you should go to the hospital immediately and while you’re on your way take some aspirin and try to relax. Also, if you notice these same symptoms, but they go away with rest or drugs you might have angina, which is due to some moderate atherosclerotic narrowing. Thus, you should also contact your doctor, because if untreated it can precipitate a heart infarct.

The best way to prevent a heart attack is to start exercising, control your cholesterol level (especially your LDL), stop smoking (for yourself and others around you) and if you’re a diabetic try to keep your sugar level in the normal range. Take good care of your heart, you only have one.