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Heart attacks give warnings

The symptoms of a heart attack can appear weeks before the attack begins. Pay attention to the signals your heart sends, especially if you have one or more risk factors. This can be life-saving.

A heart attack is a seizure that occurs when tissue in an organ dies. It is caused by a blockage in a vein or artery that prevents blood from reaching the organ, increasing blood pressure and causing the attack. This can happen in any part of the body, such as the brain, intestines, and kidneys, but is most common in the heart, known as myocardial infarction. It is the leading cause of death for men and women worldwide.

Major risk factors include high blood pressure, arteriosclerosis, coronary diseases, angina, or previous heart attacks. Habits such as smoking, excessive alcohol and fat consumption, lack of exercise, and high stress increase the likelihood of a heart attack. Age is also a factor; men over 40 and women over 50 are at higher risk, especially if they are overweight or diabetic.

Aggressive or hostile personalities are more susceptible due to the central nervous system releasing intense neurotransmitters that raise blood pressure and cause artery blockages. A heart attack is a medical emergency that requires immediate intervention. The prognosis depends on the extent of the infarction and the speed of treatment.

Symptoms of a heart attack may include pain or discomfort in the neck, back, jaw, arms, shoulders, or upper stomach. Knowing these symptoms can mean the difference between life and death.

-Chest pain: Most heart attacks are accompanied by chest pain or intense pressure on the left side of the chest. This pain is known as angina pectoris and usually lasts only a few minutes or comes and goes. It can even feel like heartburn or indigestion and may be confused with a gastric condition.

-Cold sweat: Unexplained or excessive cold sweat can be signs of a heart attack.

-Unusual fatigue: Sudden or unusual fatigue is one of the most common heart attack symptoms in women and one of the easiest to overlook. It can appear suddenly or persist for days, even a month before the attack. More than half of women who have a heart attack experience muscle fatigue, weakness, or drowsiness unrelated to exercise.

-Severe shortness of breath: Shortness of breath can begin before or at the same time as chest pain or discomfort and may even be the only symptom. It often occurs suddenly, even at rest.

-Dizziness or lightheadedness: Most heart attacks don't cause immediate fainting; this happens only in the most severe cases. Instead, you may feel dizzy or lightheaded. In 10% of cases, it is the only symptom.

-No symptoms: A quarter of myocardial infarctions are silent, meaning they occur without chest pain or other symptoms. These heart attacks are often discovered later during an electrocardiogram and are more common in the elderly, diabetic patients, and those who have undergone a heart transplant.

-Nausea or vomiting: Women are twice as likely as men to experience nausea, vomiting, or indigestion during a heart attack.

Urgent Attention

As mentioned earlier, the sooner you seek emergency care, the greater the chances of survival. In an emergency, an electrocardiogram is performed to determine if it is indeed a myocardial infarction, and treatment with oxygen and medications is initiated to help restore blood flow and relieve pain.

Strong medications like morphine or nitroglycerin are used for pain, which reduces the oxygen demand of the heart muscle, thereby alleviating the pain. Blood thinners and antiplatelet agents are administered to restore blood flow, reduce clot formation in the coronary artery, and prevent additional blood clots from forming.

A procedure is performed to open the blocked vessel and restore blood flow to the affected heart area. Angioplasty involves inserting a catheter through an artery (usually the radial artery in the wrist) to reach the blocked artery. A balloon or metallic devices called stents are used to reopen the blocked artery and restore blood flow.

In rare cases, emergency bypass surgery may be performed during a heart attack. This involves creating a bypass around the blocked artery using other blood vessels to reroute blood flow.

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