Heart Attacks

How To Tell If You Are Having A Heart Attack

Everyone knows that the heart is a vital organ and that we cannot live without it. This year about 1.2 million Americans will have a first or recurrent heart attack. About 479,000 of these people will die. Most people who have experienced a heart attack have never felt a symptom, or recognized what the symptoms are. Heart attacks happen in many different ways and the discomfort can come and go, which makes it easier to blame it on something else. Often the people affected wait too long before getting help, which can cause more damage or even death.

The heart is a powerful organ about the size of your fist that pumps blood throughout your body. The pumping action causes the heartbeat or pulse which pumps blood that is high in oxygen to the body through your veins and arteries. After the body uses the oxygen, the blood low in oxygen is returned to the heart. It is then pumped through the lungs to pick up more oxygen. That pumping processes five liters of blood per minute when you're resting. During a workout, you're immediately pumping twenty liters of blood per minute. Your heart can adjust to these changes no matter whatever situation you're in.

Risk factors for heart disease are traits or lifestyle habits that can be categorized in two groups; controlled or uncontrolled. Below are some risk factors that are considered controllable. They can be modified or treated:

Ð'* Smoking; nicotine and carbon monoxide in smoke reduce the amount of oxygen in the blood. It also damages blood vessels walls and increases plaque build up. Exposure to smoking contributes to strokes, lung cancer, and emphysema.

Ð'* Excessive Alcohol; A few drinks can be advantageous to your good (HDL) cholesterol, but can also contribute to high blood pressure and strokes.

Ð'* Cholesterol; too much LDL (bad cholesterol) can build (plaque) in the walls of the arteries blocking blood flow.

Ð'* High Blood Pressure; causes the heart to work harder. Also increases the risk of strokes and kidney failure.

Ð'* Physical Inactivity/ Overweight or Obese; increases the risk of high blood pressure, cholesterol, and diabetes, adding to the risk of a heart attack.

Ð'* Stress; unhealthy responses to stress may lead to bad habits of smoking, eating, and drinking.

Some risk factors that are considered uncontrolled and cannot be avoided are:

Ð'* Age; a heart attack can happen at any age, but the older you get, the more likely you will develop heart disease.

Ð'* Hereditary; if a close family member has had a heart attack, you will be at greater risk.

Ð'* Men; have a greater risk in life, although heart disease is the leading cause of death in men and women (300,000 women die each year from heart disease).

Ð'* Race; African Americans have more severe high blood pressure than Caucasians.

A heart attack occurs when the blood supply to part of the heart muscle is severely reduced or stopped. The reduction or stoppage happens when one or more of the coronary arteries supplying blood to the heart muscle are blocked. This is usually caused from the buildup of plaque (deposits of fat-like substances) inside the artery wall. The plaque can burst, tear, or rupture, creating a spot where a blood clot forms and blocks the artery; causing a heart attack.

A heart attack usually strikes suddenly, it can occur anytime - at work, or play, while resting, or in motion.