On my previous posts I explained about how to perform CPR and important tips to serve yourself when you've heart attack. The important point here is to understand the warnings signs of heart attack so that you can be able to ask an emergency help when the disease occurs.
Heart attack (Shambulio la moyo in Swahili) is a medical
emergency that usually occurs when a blood clot
blocks blood flow to the heart, as a result tissues of the heart lack blood
supply then loses oxygen and dies. The blockage is most often a buildup of fat,
cholesterol and other substances, which form a plaque in the arteries that feed
the heart (coronary arteries).
CAUSES
It is caused by coronary artery diseases,
the condition where one or more of your coronary arteries become blocked. This
blockage is brought by buildup of various substances in coronary artery
including fats, cholesterol and other substances.
These buildup materials can rupture
and spill cholesterol and other substances into the bloodstream, as a result
blood clot occurs at the site of rupture. Later the clot can block the flow of
blood through the coronary artery, starving the heart muscle of oxygen and
nutrients.
Also it can be caused by Coronary
artery spasms, spasms is a sudden, involuntary contraction of a muscle, a group
of muscles, or a hollow organ. This means that when coronary artery contracts,
it shuts down blood flow to part of the heart muscle. The use of tobacco and
illicit drugs, such as cocaine, can cause a life-threatening spasm. To learn
more about the harmful effects of tobacco including cigarettes smoking CLICKHERE.
RISKS FACTORS OF HEART ATTACK
Apart from the causes, it is
important to understand some risks factors of heart attack, if you know well
the causes, risks factors and warning signs then you'll be in good position to
serve many lives even yourself from heart attack. The following are some risks
factors of heart attack;
1. High blood pressure
On prolonged period, high blood
pressure can damage arteries that feed your heart. High blood pressure that
associated with other conditions including obesity, high cholesterol or
diabetes, increases the chance of getting heart attack.
2. High blood cholesterol (Triglyceride
levels)
Before any elaboration about the relations of high blood
cholesterol and heart attack you should first understand these two terms
'Cholesterol' and 'Triglyceride'
*Cholesterol is a sterol lipid
synthesized by the liver and transported in the bloodstream to the membranes of
all animal cells; it plays a central role in many biochemical processes and, as
a lipoprotein that coats the walls of blood vessels, is associated with
cardiovascular disease.
*Triglyceride is a lipid, an ester
of glycerol and three fatty acids (the same or different); the major
constituent of animal and vegetable fats or a type of blood fat related to your
diet.
A high level of cholesterol (Low density lipoprotein) is the
one responsible for narrowing arteries, also a high level of triglycerides can
increase blood cholesterol as a result you'll be at high risks of getting heart
attack.
3. Tobacco
This includes smoking and
long-term exposure to secondhand smoke. Secondhand smoke is a mixture of the
smoke that comes from the burning end of a cigarette, cigar, or pipe, and the
smoke breathed out by the smoker. It contains more than 7,000 chemicals.
Hundreds of those chemicals are toxic and about 70 can cause cancer.
4. 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. Aging can cause changes in the heart and blood vessels. For example, as
you get older, your heart can't beat as fast during physical activity or times
of stress as it did when you were younger. However, the number of heart beats
per minute (heart rate) at rest does not change significantly with normal
aging.
Changes that happen with age may
increase a person's risk of heart disease. A major cause of heart disease is
the buildup of fatty deposits in the walls of arteries over many years.
5. 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.
6. Stress
Stress itself might be a risk
factor, or it could be that high levels of stress make other risk factors (such
as high cholesterol or high blood pressure) worse. Also if you are under
stress, your blood pressure goes up, you may overeat, you may exercise less.
Also stress exposes your body to
unhealthy, persistently elevated levels of stress hormones like adrenaline and
cortisol. Studies also link stress to changes in the way blood clots, which
increases the risk of heart attack.
7. 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. Spasm is a sudden, involuntary contraction of a muscle, a
group of muscles, or a hollow organ. This means that coronary arteries will
contract and shutdown blood supply to a part of the heart muscle and cause
heart attack.
8. A history of preeclampsia
This condition causes high blood
pressure during pregnancy and increases the lifetime risk of heart disease.
Preeclampsia is a potentially dangerous pregnancy complication characterized by
high blood pressure.
It is usually begins after 20
weeks of pregnancy in a woman whose blood pressure had been normal. It can lead
to serious, even fatal, complications for both mother and baby.
9. An autoimmune condition
An autoimmune disease is a
condition in which your immune system mistakenly attacks your body (healthy
cells). Autoimmune diseases such as psoriasis, lupus and rheumatoid arthritis
more than double the risk of cardiovascular disease (heart attack).
A new study shows that immune
cells that arise during autoimmune disease cause cholesterol to become trapped
inside blood vessels and increases the risk of heart attack.
10. Obesity
Obesity is associated with high
blood cholesterol levels, high triglyceride levels, high blood pressure and
diabetes. It is a risk factor for fatal heart attacks even for people who do
not have the conditions normally associated with cardiovascular disease, such
as diabetes and high blood pressure. Losing just 10 percent of your body weight
can lower this risk.
11. Diabetes
In long run, high blood glucose
from diabetes can damage your blood vessels and the nerves that control your
heart and blood vessels. The longer you have diabetes, the higher the chances
that you will develop heart disease.
People with diabetes tend to develop
heart disease at a younger age than people without diabetes. In adults with
diabetes, the most common causes of death are heart disease and stroke. Adults
with diabetes are nearly twice as likely to die from heart disease or stroke as
people without diabetes. Luckily if you manage your diabetes effectively will
help to lower your chances of having heart disease or stroke.
12. Metabolic syndrome
Metabolic syndrome, also known as
syndrome X or dysmetabolic syndrome, refers to a cluster of metabolic conditions
that can lead to heart disease. It's normally occurs when you've obesity, high
blood pressure and high blood sugar. Having metabolic syndrome makes you twice more
likely to develop heart disease than if you don't have it.
Metabolic syndrome results to
insulin resistance, hypertension (high blood pressure), abnormal cholesterol,
and an increased risk for clotting. People diagnosed with this syndrome are
usually overweight or obese.
*Insulin resistance is a condition
in which the body produces insulin but does not use it properly. Insulin, a
hormone made by the pancreas, helps the body use glucose, a form of sugar, for
energy. If a person has insulin resistance, his or her body is not converting
glucose for use by muscles and other tissues.
13. Family history of heart
attack
Your family medical history is a
key, but complex, risk factor for heart disease, Even if you do everything
possible to keep your heart healthy and strong, you still have to confront your
genes. Family history can be as strong an indicator of heart disease as high
blood pressure or high cholesterol levels.
You've to look at your
first-degree relatives; your father, mother, and siblings, Checkout if anyone
have a heart attack or stroke, or die from one, if available; at what age did they
die? Either at an early age (< 55) for men and < 65 for women [by age 55
for male relatives and by age 65 for female relatives]. If available you'll be
at high risk to get the disease.
*Sibling is a person who shares a
parent; one's brother or sister.
Even if there are no cases of
heart disease with first-degree relatives, you can look back to your
grandparents, but often that is not the case, because your grandparents may
have been exposed to lifestyle or environmental factors that increased their risk
that your parents were not exposed to. For this case it will be considered
genetic signs from your grandparents if they suffered from heart attack or
stroke at an early age, even if your parents and siblings were spared.
Also family history is more beyond
DNA. Your family's shared lifestyle and home environment can raise your risk,
too. For instance, growing up in a household of smokers or one that ate a
steady diet of fast-food meals can influence blood pressure and cholesterol
levels. Also if you were raised in a city or urban neighborhood, you may have
been exposed to air pollution, poor water and food quality, and chemicals like
carbon monoxide all of which can contribute to heart disease.
WARNING SIGNS OF HEART ATTACK
As I've said before, if you understand
well the causes, risk signs and warning signs of heart attack you'll be in good
position to serve many lives of your relatives and yourself from heart attack.
It's important to note that these signs are normally occurs in combination, for
example; discomfort in chest + lightheadedness + nausea etc. Now checkout the
following warning signs of heart attack;
1. Pain or discomfort in chest
It's also known as angina, it
occurs when your heart muscle doesn't get enough oxygen-rich blood. It may feel
like pressure, fullness, squeezing, burning or tightness in your chest. Many
people with heart disease say they experience a vague discomfort that isn't
necessarily identified as pain.
2. Lightheadedness, nausea or
vomiting
Lightheadedness is a common and
typically unpleasant sensation of dizziness or a feeling that one may faint.
The sensation of lightheadedness can be short-lived, prolonged, or, rarely,
recurring. In addition to dizziness, the individual may feel as though his or
her head is weightless. The individual may also feel as though the room is
"spinning" or moving (vertigo) associated with lightheadedness. Most
causes of lightheadedness are not serious and either cures them quickly, or are
easily treated.
Nausea is an unpleasant, diffuse
sensation of unease and discomfort, often perceived as an urge to vomit. While
not painful, it can be a debilitating symptom if prolonged, and has been
described as placing discomfort on the chest, upper abdomen, or back of the
throat.
Both lightheadedness and nausea or
vomiting can be the risks signs of heart attack disease, it's important to
consider them.
3. Jaw, neck or back pain
The head, neck and jaw pain
experienced during a cardiac event is different than the chronic pain. It can
be a heart attack signs if it's associated with others symptoms including
shortness of breath, Chest discomfort etc. If it's only jaw, neck or back pain
without any other associated signs it could be a normal chronic pain.
4. Discomfort or pain in arm or
shoulder
You should not confuse normal arm
or shoulder pain with other arm pain associated with heart attack, there resemble
but practically are different. Normal arm pain is usually described as pain,
discomfort, or stiffness that occurs anywhere from your shoulders down to your
fingers in one or both arms. Most often, it’s caused by an injury or overuse.
But for the case associated with
heart attack, pain in your left arm could be related to a heart condition.
Discomforts in chest (Angina), which is caused by decreased blood flow to the
heart, can cause pain in the arm shoulder. A heart attack can cause pain in one
or both arms. A heart attack happens when the oxygen supply to your heart is
completely cut off due to a blockage that prevents blood from flowing into the
muscle.
NB:
As I've said above signs of heart
attack occurs in combination, you cannot use only single signs to assure you've
heart attack, you must observe at least two signs (Principle signs) to assure
you've the disease, though other heart attack may happen without any noticeable
signs. Also you must have at least one principle signs including
"Discomfort in chest pain" or "Shortness of breath", these
two principle signs together with other associated sings can indicate that
you've heart attack, though sometimes chest pain is not always present in
people with heart disease. Instead, other symptoms can be the signals that
alert you to heart disease.
5. Cold sweat (Sweating day and
night)
Sweating more than usual
especially if you aren’t
exercising or being active could be an early warning sign of heart problems.
Pumping blood through clogged arteries takes more effort from your heart, so
your body sweats more to try to keep your body temperature down during the
extra exertion. If you experience cold sweats or clammy skin, then you should
consult your doctor.
Night sweats are also a common
symptom for women experiencing heart troubles. Women may mistake this symptom
for an effect of menopause. However, if you wake up and your sheets are soaked or
you cannot sleep due to your sweating, this could be a sign of a heart attack,
especially in women.
6. Fatigue
Fatigue is an extreme tiredness
resulting from mental or physical exertion or illness. It can be a less
commonly recognized heart attack sign in women. According to the American Heart
Association, some women may even think their heart attack symptoms are flu-like
symptoms.
It can be caused by many illnesses
and by medicines. But a constant, new fatigue also can sometimes signal heart
failure (a condition in which the heart fails to pump well) or coronary artery
disease.
A heart attack can cause
exhaustion due to the extra stress on your heart to try to pump while an area
of blood flow is blocked. If you often feel tired or exhausted for no reason,
it could be a sign that something is wrong.
7. Shortness of breath
Your breathing and your heart
pumping blood effectively are very closely related. Your heart pumps blood so
it can circulate to your tissues as well as get oxygen from your lungs. If your
heart can’t pump blood well (as is
the case with a heart attack) you can feel short of breath.
During a heart attack or heart
failure, fluid may leak into the lungs, causing shortness of breath. People may
feel breathless even at rest. Shortness of breath can be due to other
conditions such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) but it can also
be a sign of heart attack or heart failure.
Also shortness of breath can
sometimes be an accompanying symptom to unusual fatigue in women. For example,
some women report they would get unusually short of breath and tired for the
activity they were performing. This can be a common sign of heart attack in
women.
CONCLUSION
If you understand well the causes,
risk factors and warning signs of heart attack, you'll be in good position to
serve lives of your family, neighbors and yourself. If you've any unusual signs
relating to what I explained above, see your doctor immediately for medical
checkup.
If you've any opinions about this
article, let me know by leaving your thoughts on the comments section below.
Don't miss our future posts, See you next time!.
Posted by: Lusubilo A. Mwaijengo
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