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Myocardial Infarction
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A heart attack or myocardial infarction occurs when the supply of oxygen and nutrient-rich blood to the heart muscle is severely reduced or cut off completely, usually resulting in sharp pain.
In most patients an acute thrombus, often associated with plaque rupture, occludes the artery. If the blood supply is shut down for a long time cardiac muscle cells die from lack of oxygen.
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What happens exactly?
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Atherosclerosis, which causes furring of the blood vessels, is involved in the pathogenesis of myocardial
infarction. Heart attacks are caused not by progressive furring of the vessel, but by tearing, or rupturing,
of the lining separating the blood vessel from an atherosclerotic plaque underneath.
When that happens, the blood circulating inside the artery comes into contact with the lining, with the
substance underneath the lining, which is extremely irritating. The body tries to seal it off with a blood clot.
It is the formation of the blood clot inside the blood vessel which actually blocks the artery.
When the artery is blocked, within a few minutes the heart muscle which was being fed with oxygen and with
glucose by that artery, will start to die.
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What are the warning signs?
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Not all heart attacks are sudden and intense where there is no doubt what's happening. Most heart attacks start slowly, with mild pain or discomfort. Often people affected aren't sure what's wrong and wait too long before getting help. But even in so called "silent infarctions", Aspirin Cardio® is effective.
Here are signs that can mean a heart attack is happening:
- Chest discomfort. Most heart attacks involve discomfort
in the center of the chest that lasts more than a few minutes, or that goes away and comes back. It can
feel like uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, fullness or pain.
- Discomfort in other areas of the upper body.. Symptoms
can include pain or discomfort in one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw or stomach.
- Shortness of breath. This feeling often comes along with
chest discomfort. But it can occur before the chest discomfort.
- Other signs.These may include breaking out in a cold sweat,
nausea or lightheadedness.
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What can be done to prevent the worst happening?
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A heart attack is a life threatening condition and fast acting is one of the major factors in
successfully treating a heart attack. You must immediately call for medical help:
- Call the emergency ambulance.Have the number of your local emergency
service with you or available at your phone.
- Tell somebody that you might have a heart attack - in your house or on the street.
- You might take an Aspirin® even before the ambulance arrives.
There are effectively proven methods available to significantly reduce the risk to suffer from a heart attack.
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... that your heart beats more than 2.5 billion times in a
70-year lifetime? The heart is a muscle that contracts approximately 70-80 times per minute to pump blood to the organs of our body. You can feel your heart beat, but have you ever seen a heart beating?
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