By Sanam Marjan
What is a heart attack?
A heart attack, also known as myocardial infarction, occurs when the heart muscle does not receive enough blood. The longer it takes to restore the blood flow through treatment, the more is the damage. The most common kind of heart attack is coronary artery disease (CAD).
Symptoms of heart attack are;
Chest pain or discomfort mainly in the left side of the chest.
Feeling light-headed and breaking in a cold sweat
Pain in jaw, neck, and back
Pain in arm or shoulder
Shortness of breath
Nausea or vomiting can also be an indication that mainly occurs in a woman
The body during a heart attack:
Most heart attacks are caused by coronary artery disease, also known as atherosclerosis. It is the buildup of fat in coronary arteries that carries oxygenated blood to the heart. This narrows the artery, making it difficult to transport blood to the heart. And may cause pain known as angina.
When the fat keeps building up, it increases the risk of blood clotting, which may cut off the oxygen supply to the heart muscle. This causes a heart attack as no oxygen can reach the heart for it to pump.
Coronary artery disease:
Coronary arteries have smooth walls and as age increases, they are exposed to certain risk factors such as toxins from smoke, high levels of cortisol, high blood pressure, and obesity. This causes fatty deposition in the artery and over time may cause the artery to get blocked, resulting in a heart attack.
Heart attacks explained in steps:
1)When there is cholesterol and fat in the bloodstream a harmful substance called plaque is built, which narrows the artery supplying oxygen to the heart and the rest of the body. The condition is known as atherosclerosis.
2a) Blood clot forms; plaque in the artery ruptures, triggering a response like a paper cut. A clot forms in the site of plaque to ‘repair’ the damage. This restricts the blood flow to the heart and is known as ischemia, leading to a heart attack.
2b)The arteries spasm; a heart attack can occur without a plaque where the coronary artery temporarily tightens and spasms, cutting off the oxygen supply to the heart. This usually occurs between midnight to early morning, and there are no prior symptoms of a heart attack.
3)Blood flow is blocked and the severity of heart attack depends on the size of blockage, wherein the heart it occurs, and how quickly the blockage opens.
4)Symptoms start to show.
5)The heart releases protein during a heart attack; the cell in the heart suffers damage which stimulates the release of Troponin T and Troponin I. The doctor in the ER will run tests. An elevated amount of these proteins confirms if the chest pain is due to a heart attack or not.
6)As the heart cannot pump blood efficiently, vital organs such as the brain, lungs, kidney, and liver start to shut down and get permanently damaged due to lack of blood supply.
7)During the process of a heart attack, blood pressure falls rapidly, which decreases the amount of oxygenated blood arriving in the brain. This causes brain cells to die. The process is known as cerebral infarction. This stimulates the processes of vision loss, trouble moving, and impaired speech, leading to unconsciousness. It can cause the heart to stop beating fully. The condition is known as cardiac arrest.
Sources:
https://www.cdc.gov/heartdisease/heart_attack.htm
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