Heart Attack...Symptoms,Risk factors and much more! 

A heart attack occurs when the flow of blood to the heart is blocked. The blockage is most often a buildup of fat, cholesterol and other substances, which form a plaque in the coronary arteries that feed the heart.

The plaque eventually breaks away and forms a clot. The interrupted blood flow can damage or destroy part of the heart muscle. Heart attack is often called as "myocardial infarction" which can be fatal.

Symptoms:

The symptoms of heart attack are as under:

• Pressure, tightness, pain
• A squeezing or aching sensation in your chest or arms that may spread to your neck, jaw or back
• Nausea or indigestion
•  heartburn or abdominal pain
•  Shortness of breath
•  Snoring 
•  Cold sweat
•  Fatigue
•  Lightheadedness or sudden dizziness.

But the thing is not all the people have same symptoms or of the same level or severity, like some would suffer a mild pain whilst, the other might have a bitter experience of severe pain. Some people have no symptoms; for others, the first sign may be sudden cardiac arrest. However, the more signs and symptoms you have, the greater the likelihood you're having a heart attack.

Some heart attacks strike suddenly, but many people have warning signs and symptoms hours, days or even weeks before. The earliest warning might be recurrent chest pain or pressure (angina) that's triggered by exertion and relieved by rest. Angina is caused by a temporary decrease in blood flow to the heart.

Risk Factors 

Certain factors contribute to the unwanted buildup of fatty deposits (atherosclerosis) that narrows arteries throughout your body. You can improve or eliminate many of these risk factors to reduce your chances of having a first or another heart attack.

Heart attack risk factors include:

• Age. Men age 45 or older and women age 55 or older are more likely to have a heart attack than are younger men and women.
• Tobacco. This includes smoking and long-term exposure to secondhand smoke.
• Exertion. Exercising or working more than your stamina or in an older age (65- 75) would lead to exertion which causes Angina (chest pain or pressure).
• High blood pressure. Over time, high blood pressure can damage arteries that feed your heart. High blood pressure that occurs with other conditions, such as obesity, high cholesterol or diabetes, increases your risk even more.
• High blood cholesterol. A high level of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol (the "bad" cholesterol) is most likely to narrow arteries. And the higher the cholesterol level, the more the chance of deposition in the coronary arteries. 
• Obesity. Obesity is associated with high blood cholesterol levels, high triglyceride levels, high blood pressure and diabetes. Losing just 10 percent of your body weight can lower this risk, however.
• Diabetes. Not producing enough of a hormone secreted by your pancreas (insulin) or not responding to insulin properly causes your body's blood sugar levels to rise, increasing your risk of heart attack.
• Metabolic syndrome. This occurs when you have obesity, high blood pressure and high blood sugar. Having metabolic syndrome makes you twice as likely to develop heart disease than if you don't have it.
• Family history of heart attack. If your siblings, parents or grandparents have had early heart attacks (by age 55 for male relatives and by age 65 for female relatives), you might be at increased risk.
• Lack of physical activity. Being inactive contributes to high blood cholesterol levels and obesity. People who exercise regularly have better cardiovascular fitness, including lower high blood pressure.
• Stress. You might respond to stress in ways that can increase your risk of a heart attack.
• Illicit drug use. Using stimulant drugs, such as cocaine or amphetamines, can trigger a spasm of your coronary arteries that can cause a heart attack.
• A history of preeclampsia. This condition causes high blood pressure during pregnancy and increases the lifetime risk of heart disease.
• An autoimmune condition. Having a condition such as rheumatoid arthritis or lupus can increase your risk of heart attack.

More about heart diseases:

By far the most common heart disease is coronary heart disease. The coronary arteries lie on the outside of the heart and carry blood to the muscles in the walls of the heart. If these arteries become blocked or narrowed by, for example, the build up of fatty deposits in the arteries, the blood supply to the heart muscles can be greatly reduced. This can cause two problems;

• Angina and, 
• Heart attack.

Angina pectoris literally means chest pain. Blood flow to the heart muscles is sufficient at rest. However, during exercise when the heart rate is much higher, the coronary arteries are unable to deliver the extra blood, and the all-important oxygen carried in the blood, to meet the demand imposed. Consequently, any physical activity, even walking in severe cases, causes chest pain. 

These obstructions in the coronary arteries can be caused by arteriosclerosis, a condition where the arterial walls are thick and hard. In one form of this condition, known as atherosclerosis, fatty material is deposited in the linning of the arteries. The rough inner surface of such an affected artery increases the risk of a blood clot being trapped in it. 

During a heart attack, one of the plaques which form clots can rupture and spill cholesterol and other substances into the bloodstream. A blood clot forms at the site of the rupture. If large enough, the clot can block the flow of blood through the coronary artery, starving the heart muscle of oxygen and nutrients (ischemia).

Treatment:

 Such conditions can be treated by drugs and, increasingly, by a very clever surgical procedure which does not involve cutting open the patient's chest. Rather a balloon attached to a fine wire is inserted into an artery in the leg. The balloon is then pushed through the arteries towards the heart until it turns reaches the narrow part of the coronation artery. The position of the balloon is constantly checked using X-rays. When it is in the right place, the balloon is inflated opening up the artery, and thus improving the blood flow. The balloon is then pulled back out of the body. Surgeons hope to do less heart operations using this technology in future. This procedure is called as angioplasty, which prevents heart attack. 

Complications

 Complications are often related to the damage done to your heart during an attack, which can lead to:

• Abnormal heart rhythms (arrhythmias).Electrical "short circuits" can develop, resulting in abnormal heart rhythms, some of which can be serious, even fatal.
• Heart failure. An attack might damage so much heart tissue that the remaining heart muscle can't pump enough blood out of your heart. Heart failure can be temporary, or it can be a chronic condition resulting from extensive and permanent damage to your heart.
• Sudden cardiac arrest. Without warning, your heart stops due to an electrical disturbance that causes an arrhythmia. Heart attacks increase the risk of sudden cardiac arrest, which can be fatal without immediate treatment.

Preventation

 It's never too late to take steps to prevent a heart attack — even if you've already had one. Here are ways to prevent a heart attack.

• Medications. Taking medications can reduce your risk of a heart attack and help your damaged heart function better. Continue to take what your doctor prescribes, and ask your doctor how often you need to be monitored.
• Lifestyle factors. You know the drill: Maintain a healthy weight with a heart-healthy diet(choose a healthy eating plan)
  
  don't smoke, exercise regularly, manage stress and control conditions that can lead to heart attack, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes.
• Learn the warning signs and symptoms of a heart attack.  
• Know your family history. Do inform your doctor about any problems you learnt about in the family history. 
• Don't ignore snoring. And move to your doctor for proper check-up.

I'm up again with a new post because our health matters! I want you all to share the post with your friends and family. My aim is to provide you with real and sufficient information about diseases surrounding us all nowadays. Stay with me for such more posts. And follow the inspiring facts.

                                    Thank you