Heart Attacks
What is a Heart Attack? Heart and blood vessel diseases are America’s number one killers (American Heart Association, 1994). A heart attack results in permanent damage or death to part of the heart muscle. It is also known as a myocardial infarction because areas of the heart muscle may literally die. What are the symptoms of a heart attack? People can have a silent heart attack without knowing it. “Up to 25 percent of heart attacks are symptom-free” (Heart Center Online, 2003). On the other hand, the majority of people who suffer a heart attack do experience symptoms. “The vast majority, 90 percent or more of heart attack-related deaths in younger patients (below age 55) occur outside the hospital, and medical experts believe this is often due to their not understanding the situation” (Heart Center Online, 2003). Symptoms for a heart attack include, chest pain that is not cured by rest and often moves through the upper body to arms, neck, shoulders or jaw. There is also pressure or a squeezing sensation in the chest that may be constant or periodic, shortness of breath, heart palpitations in which the heart beat is fast, weak and or fast pulse, fainting, fatigue, sweating, often heavy and cold, nausea, and gray facial color. What causes a Heart Attack? A heart attack occurs when the blood flow to a part of the heart is blocked (often by a blot clot). This happens because coronary arteries that supply the heart with blood slowly become clogged from a buildup of cells, fat and cholesterol called plaque. ... If this clot cuts off the blood flow completely, the part of the heart muscle supplied by the artery begins to die. ... The gradual build-up of fatty materials and toxins is known as plaque” (Heart Center Online, 2003). ... The unstable plaques have a larger fatty core, more white blood cells encased within, and a thinner, softer, more unpredictable coating that might be stripped off at anytime without warning” (Heart Center Online, 2003).