What Causes a Heart Attack
The majority of heart attacks manifest as a result of Atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis is a progressive accumulation of plaque in the walls of arteries. Over time this accumulation will cause hardening of the arterial walls which will correspondingly narrow the space available for blood flow through the arteries. Subsequently the blood flow will be restricted as the disease progresses. This will ultimately lead to the reduced functioning of the organ that is affected and the circulatory system in general. If atherosclerosis materializes in the legs the decrease in blood flow will inevitably cause pain in the legs when walking or exercising, leg ulcers, or a noticeable decrease in the ability for wounds to heal in that area. If atherosclerosis occurs in the arteries that supply blood to the brain this may lead to vascular dementia which is mental degeneration as a result of continuous death of the brain tissue over a number of years. In some cases it may lead to a stroke.
In some individuals, atherosclerosis can be asymptomatic for a number of years. The condition can start as early as the teenage years, but the associated symptoms or health issues typically do not manifest until later in adulthood when the narrowing of the arteries have significantly worsened. Common risk factors such as smoking cigarettes, high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol, and diabetes mellitus can exacerbate atherosclerosis and cause the symptoms to appear sooner. Complications may occur, specifically in individuals who have a family history of early onset of atherosclerosis.
Coronary atherosclerosis or as it is commonly known coronary artery disease is specific to atherosclerosis that occurs within the arteries of the heart resulting in the hardening and narrowing of these arteries. Diseases that occur because of the reduced blood supply to the heart muscle from the presence of coronary atherosclerosis are considered coronary heart diseases or CHD. Coronary heart diseases will include heart attacks, cardiac arrest, chest pain or angina, irregular heart rhythms, and progressive heart failure as a result of the deterioration of the heart muscle.
Sometimes the surface of cholesterol plaque in the coronary artery may rupture, and form a blood clot. The clot will obstruct the flow of blood through the artery and cause a resultant heart attack. The exact reason for the unexpected rupture that develops into a clot is not known. However it is suggested that notable factors will possibly include cigarette smoking or other forms of nicotine exposure, elevated LDL cholesterol levels, higher than normal levels of blood catecholamines (adrenaline), hypertension, among others.
Heart muscle will die during a heart attack. This muscle loss will be permanent, if the blood flow is not restored quickly.
Although heart attacks can happen at any time, the majority of heart attacks will transpire between the hours of 4:00 A.M. and 10:00 A.M. This is thought to occur because of the higher blood levels of adrenaline released from the adrenal glands at this time of the morning. The increase in adrenaline levels are often associated with rupture of the cholesterol plaques.
An estimated 50% of patients who experience heart attacks have some warning signs including angina from exertion or from resting before they are blighted by a heart attack. Unfortunately, these symptoms may be too subtle to be considered life threatening.
Therefore it is important to get medical attention for any symptoms of a probable heart attack including chest pain or angina pectoris, difficulty breathing, jaw pain, upper back pain and extreme tiredness. Prompt treatment of a heart attack may save your life.