Over 1.5 million people suffer from heart attacks each year, and 500,000 will die as a result. A heart attack is a condition in which the blood supply to the heart is cut off and the heart muscle begins to die. Once blood supply is cut off, blood flow must be restored within 20-40 minutes or the damage to the heart will be permanent.
What Happens During a Heart Attack
When a person suffers from a heart attack, ventricular fibrillation commonly occurs. In this situation, the part of the heart muscle that’s dying triggers electrical activity, and the rhythmic contractions are replaced with a twitching or irregular heartbeat. When this is the case, medical professionals use a defibrillator to shock the heart back into rhythm.
What Causes a Heart Attack
Heart attacks are most often caused by blood blots that formed in narrowed arteries and block the flow of blood to the heart. The narrowed veins result from artherosclerosis, which is the hardening of the arteries as a result of fatty deposits built up within the arteries. This plaque buildup is the result of cholesterol and fat that coats the linings of the arteries, causing them to harden and narrow. As the arteries narrow, the flow of blood is diminished and the heart must work harder to pump blood throughout the body.
Eventually, these deposits of fat and cholesterol break free from the walls of the arteries to form clots and flow throughout the blood. Occasionally, these clots get caught in the coronary arteries, causing the flow of blood to the heart to cease. When this happens, a heart attack occurs.
What Contributes to Artherosclerosis
Diet. A diet that is high in fat and cholesterol can lead to high cholesterol and high blood pressure, two large factors in the development of artherosclerosis. Eating a balanced diet of fruits and vegetables, protein, and whole grains can reduce the likelihood of developing narrowed arteries. Avoiding a diet that consists of a great deal of red meat and foods high in trans fat will also reduce a person’s risk.
Exercise. A sedentary lifestyle can contribute to weight gain and obesity, a contributing factor in the onset of artherosclerosis. Excess weight causes the heart to constantly work harder than normal to pump blood throughout the body. Regular exercise can not only help maintain a healthy weight, but also curb the onslaught of high blood pressure and other factors that lead to heart disease.
Smoking. The link between smoking and artherosclerosis has been shown to increase a smoker’s chance of developing heart disease and a heart attack by more than four times that of a nonsmoker. Chemicals in nicotine also reduce the amount of oxygen in the blood, thereby reducing oxygen needed by the heart.
Alcohol consumption. A high level of alcohol consumption has been linked to high blood pressure, which can in turn cause a heart attack.
Stress. Stress factors, such as job issues, family problems, and money woes are common stressors people face on a daily basis. However, too much stress has been linked to heart disease. It can lead to a higher blood pressure, chest pains, and heart attack. In addition, many people turn to unhealthy measures that can lead to heart disease in order to deal with stress. This can include eating for comfort, which leads to weight gain, smoking, or too much drinking, all lifestyle factors that can lead to artherosclerosis and an eventual heart attack.