Heart Disease and Heart Attack

The heart is a double pump that circulates blood around the body. It picks up oxygenated blood and sends it around the body through blood vessels called arteries. At the same time the heart pumps deoxygenated blood from the body back to the lungs. To perform it’s duties, the heart needs a generous supply of oxygen and nutrients, which it receives from blood pumped through the two coronary arteries and their branches.

Coronary Heart Disease and Heart attack

Coronary heart disease leads to heart attacks and along with the same disease in other arteries leads to the death of nearly half of us.

Over the years, fatty deposits can build up inside one or more of the coronary arteries. This results in the narrowing of the arteries, which can lead to Angina (temporary chest pain) and usually occurs during activity or when a person feel strong emotions.

A heart attack occurs when a blood clot forms at a narrowed point of an artery and suddenly blocks the flow of blood to an area of heart muscle. If the artery remains blocked, the lack of supply permanently damages the area of heart muscle supplied by the artery. The severity of the heart attack depends on how much muscle is permanently damaged.

Risk Factors

• Tobacco smoking
• High Cholesterol
• High Blood Pressure (These are the main causes)
• Diabetes
• Family history
• Increasing age
• Lack of exercise
• Excess weight
• Depression or social isolation

Warning Signs
Most who have a heart attack usually have some warning signs! Often they are unsure what is wrong or too embarrassed to say anything or to ask for help. If in doubt you are always better to get to a hospital as every minute counts with a heart attack. Warning signs vary but usually last at least 10 minutes and can include;

Chest pain or discomfort in the centre of the chest, it may come on suddenly or start slowly. It may feel like tightness, pressure, heaviness or squeezing and can be from very mild to severe.
The pain or heaviness may spread to the neck, throat, jaw, shoulders, back, either or both arms, wrists or hands.
Some get no chest pain but discomfort in these parts of the upper body and sometimes a choking feeling in the throat and heavy useless arms.
Often there is breathing difficulty, nausea, vomiting, sweating or dizzy feeling
Sometimes collapse is the first warning sign.

Early Treatment is Essential
A heart attack is a medical emergency and most who receive fast emergency treatment can recover and lead a normal life. Unfortunately too many lose their lives because they take too long deciding to go to hospital. The important thing is to restore blood supply to the muscle and the quicker this happens the less the permanent damage will be. Modern treatments and clot-dissolving medications are a great help.

First Aid
If you or someone nearby is experiencing the warning signs of a heart attack, you should;

• Immediately stop what you are doing and rest
• Tell someone what you are experiencing
• Get help fast, call (000) and ask for ambulance
• Don’t hang up as the operator can give advice

Diagnosis/Treatment
An electrocardiogram (ECG) can track abnormalities of the heartbeat and blood tests are also used. Treatment can include drugs, surgery, a procedure called catheterisation to remove the blood clot and long-term drug use for prevention.

Reducing Risk
If you are any or all of the following you live with a higher risk of heart disease and heart attack. Overweight, a smoker, unfit have high cholesterol or high blood pressure.

As usual lifestyle is the main issue so reduce your weight, be more active, eat healthy foods and this will reduce your cholesterol and improve your blood pressure and give you a greater chance of not having to go through a HEART ATTACK!

If you are at risk then why not ask your Doctor to organise an ECG, it may be the smartest thing you have ever done.

In formation sourced from www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au