Heart Attack: Risk Factors And Prevention

In 2012, my grandfather passed away from a heart attack. He had a 100 percent blockage of his left anterior descending artery, which is referred to as a widowmaker heart attack. This type of heart attack is the worst type. The morning he had his heart attack he was at a store getting something he needed. There was someone with him that walked off and when they came back they found him lying on the floor. When the ambulance got there they were operating on him to try to revive him. For a short amount of time the paramedics were able to get his heart going again and were going to take him to the hospital. On the way to the hospital the paramedics lost him and then changed the hospital they were going to and chose to go to the quickest one to get to. Many people suffer from this. Not all heart attacks are fatal, but they still can cause damage. Heart attacks can happen at anytime and can be caused by many different things. By knowing what the risk factors of heart attacks are, a heart attack could possibly be prevented. Heart attacks can be caused by many different things.

Severe coronary artery disease (CAD) usually is the cause of heart attacks. Any condition in which the coronary arteries are affected is CAD. Blood is supplied to the heart by blood vessels, which is the coronary arteries. A common type of coronary artery disease is when there is plaque in an artery. The chance of developing coronary artery disease can be raised by many different risk factors. Some of the risk factors can be changed, but some cannot be changed. Risk factors that cannot be changed are: heredity, gender, and age. A person's whose parents have CAD have a higher chance of the development of this condition; African Americans also have a higher chance of developing CAD. Men that are below sixty have a higher chance of a heart attack than women that are the same age as them. Men that are over the age of forty-five and women that are over the age of fifty-five have a much higher chance of having a heart attack than people who are younger. Anyone over the age of sixty-five have a higher risk of dying from a heart attack. If you are at risk for heart attacks then you can still try to prevent one from happening by taking steps ahead of time to keep one from happening. Prevention methods are available. If you think you are at risk of a heart attack, talk to your doctor to see if you should be put on medication to prevent it from happening. There are some risk factors that can be changed however. Some risk factors that can be changed are: smoking, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, lack of physical exercise. People that smoke have twice the chance of having a heart attack than people that do not smoke. Smokers are more likely to die from a heart attack by 2 to 4 times. Even though cholesterol is important, high levels of it can raise chances of plaque formation in blood vessels, causing risks of CAD and heart attacks. If blood pressure is high, it will cause the heart to work harder, causing the heart to become weaker over time. If you smoke then work on quitting. Smoking can do more damage than just heart attacks. If you have high cholesterol or high blood pressure, talk to your doctor about medication or what to do to lower them. There are some other conditions that can raise the risk of developing CAD and heart attacks.

However, scientists are unsure how these factors are associated with them. These factors include: diabetes mellitus, obesity, and stress and anger. Diabetics have a very high risk of heart attacks; about 80 percent die from some sort of heart or blood vessel disease. Obesity increases risks of CAD and heart attacks due to excess weight putting strains on the heart. Stress and anger causes heart rate and blood pressure to rise, which is why scientists think that these emotions can be the cause of heart attacks. Many of these risk factors correlate with each other. For instance, obesity and stress causes high blood pressure. People that have more than one risk factor have a much higher possibility to develop CAD and have a heart attack (Heart Attack). If you have any of these risk factors then there is nothing to worry about, you can fix them. If you have high blood pressure or high cholesterol you can fix this by talking to your doctor about getting medication to lower them to a healthy level. There is a study that has been made that suggests insomnia may be a cause of heart attacks. An online issue of Neurology states that people who have difficulty sleeping may possibly have a higher risk of a stroke, heart attack, or other cerebrovascular or cardiovascular diseases. This study was made to help prevent these issues from coming about in the future and discover causes for these issues as well. The article states “participants were asked if they had any of three symptoms of insomnia at least three days per week: trouble falling asleep or staying asleep; waking up too early in the morning; or trouble staying focused during the day due to poor sleep. A total of 11 percent of the people had difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep; 10 percent reported waking up too early; and 2 percent had trouble staying focused during the day due to poor sleep”. The article then states 'People who had all three symptoms of insomnia were 18 percent more likely to develop these diseases than people who did not have any symptoms. The researchers adjusted for other factors that could affect the risk of stroke or heart disease including alcohol use, smoking, and level of physical activity. People who had trouble falling asleep or staying asleep were 9 percent more likely to develop stroke or heart disease than people who did not have this trouble. Of the 55,127 people who had this symptom, 17,650, or 32 percent, had a stroke or heart disease, compared to 112,382, or 26 percent, of the 432,073 people who did not have this symptom of insomnia. People who woke up too early in the morning and could not get back to sleep were 7 percent more likely to develop these diseases than people who did not have that problem. And people who reported that they had trouble staying focused during the day due to poor sleep were 13 percent more likely to develop these diseases than people who did not have that symptom'.

This research shows that insomnia may possibly be a cause of heart attacks. If you suffer from insomnia then talk to your doctor for medicine to help you sleep. If you do this you may reduce your risk of having a heart attack or heart disease or even a stroke. Even though it is not exactly proven that insomnia is a cause for heart attacks, there could always be a possibility of it. If a person is going to have a heart attack then there is a possibility that there will be symptoms involved before the attack begins. More than 60 percent of patients that have a heart attack experience symptoms before it happening. These symptoms can occur ahead of time by days or even weeks. The most common symptoms are: uncomfortable; fullness; or pain in the center of the chest, pain that spreads to the shoulders; neck or arms, chest discomfort that is followed by light-headedness; fainting; sweating; nausea; or shortness of breath. Not all symptoms occur with all heart attacks. Symptoms can disappear and then reappear. Someone who experiences these symptoms should immediately receive medical attention. Sometimes symptoms may not occur before a person has a heart attack. Heart attacks with no warning signs are called “silent heart attacks”. Silent heart attacks are coronary artery spasms. Coronary artery spasm, referred to as unstable angina as well, are caused by arteries that are connected to the heart contracting, which prevents or restricts blood to get to the heart. Permanent damage is not caused and is less severe than any other type of heart attack. Even though silent heart attacks are not as severe they can lead to a more severe heart attack occurring in the future. If you experience a silent heart attack then you should talk to your doctor about preventing a severe attack from occurring. There are three ways that a heart attack can be properly diagnosed. Anyone can diagnose that a person has had a heart attack just by simply looking at the patient if they are familiar with heart attacks. The patient gets their heart rate and blood pressure measured to confirm the diagnosis. Blood tests and electrocardiograms can provide further proof that a heart attack has occurred. Electrocardiograms are tests that measure the electrical function of the heart. If you think that you are having a heart attack immediately go to the hospital immediately; tell a doctor your symptoms and they will be able to determine if you are experiencing a heart attack or not. Acting immediately could possibly save your life. Be informed on symptoms of heart attacks because you could save another person’s life as well. Not many people know the symptoms of heart attacks, but it is important to know because one could occur at any moment and should be diagnosed and treated immediately. If a person has a heart attack, action should be taken quickly. Call 911 as soon as you notice something is wrong. Once the paramedics are there they will work to make sure the person is okay and survives.

Taking steps to keep the patient alive is the first step for treating a heart attack. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) may be needed if the patient has stopped breathing. CPR could involve either breathing into the patient's mouth or pushing on the chest to get the patient breathing again. As soon as the patient has arrived at the hospital, various emergency procedures may be required. As an example, defibrillation may be necessary, which is used when a patient's heartbeat is beating in an unusual pattern. When this happens an electric shock is applied to the chest of the patient, causing the heart to beat in a more regular pattern again. Oxygen therapy may be required as well. Oxygen therapy is when a patient is able to breathe air, but with extra oxygen, which makes it easier for the heart to work. Damage to the heart can even be reduced by oxygen therapy. Treatment does not always work however. Some patients cannot be saved, depending on the severity of their heart attack. There are two actual types of heart attacks: STEMI and NSTEMI. STEMI heart attacks require immediate attention due to how severe they are. These attacks happen when the coronary artery is blocked completely, which prevents blood from reaching a large area of the heart. This attack causes increasing damage to the heart muscle, eventually causing it to stop completely. NSTEMI heart attacks are caused when the coronary artery is partially blocked, causing the blood flow to be severely restricted. Even though they are not as dangerous as STEMI heart attacks, they still can cause permanent, long-lasting damage. Both STEMI and NSTEMI should be taken seriously. Immediate attention should be taken no matter what because serious damage can be done either way. Sometimes after a heart attack medication is given to a person for survival. Some examples of medication that may be given are: thrombolytics, anticoagulants, pain relief, tranquilizers, vasodilators, and drugs that control arrhythmia. Thrombolytics dissolve blood clots; the most common is tissue plasminogen activator (tPA). Patients that receive tPA within hours after experiencing a heart attack have a higher chance of surviving. Anticoagulants help thin the blood and reduce the chance of blood clots forming; the most common blood thinner is aspirin. Warfarin and heparin are other some other blood thinners. Nitroglycerin tablets are the most common pain relievers, but in cases that are more severe doctors may provide morphine. Patients that experience a heart attack are usually extremely upset afterwards. To help with emotional distress, tranquilizers such as diazepam is provided. Vasodilators make blood vessels open up, making it easier for blood flow to the heart, which reduces work for the heart to do. Drugs that control arrhythmia help the heart beat at a regular pace, reducing the risk of unusual and potential fatal irregular heart rhythms occurring. Opening up blood vessels to the heart is key to surviving a heart attack. In most cases, thrombolytics and anticoagulants will achieve this.

When this does not happen, surgery is possibly needed. Sometimes surgery is required for someone to survive a heart attack. There are two different types of surgery that is used with patients who have had a heart attack. The first type of surgery is called coronary angioplasty. The tool that is used for this surgery is a catheter that has an empty balloon attached to the end of it. A catheter is a thin plastic tube that is able to be inserted into the patient's artery, which is usually in the thigh or the arm. After it is inserted, it is then threaded all they way to the blocked coronary artery. By then, the balloon is inflated and pushes on the plaque that has the artery blocked and then opens the artery up, causing blood to be able to move freely to the heart. Afterwards, the balloon gets deflated, and then the catheter gets removed from the patient. During angioplasty, a surgeon may install a stent, which is a small spring-like mechanism that is cylindrical, and installed into an artery. The stent then keeps an artery open and allows for blood to flow freely. 90 percent of the time, angioplasty is successful. In approximately one-third of all cases, the artery will narrow again after the procedure is performed. In cases like this, the surgery is repeated. The second type of surgery is bypass surgery. The purpose of this surgery is to provide a new path for blood to reach the heart. There are three steps to this procedure. A section of healthy vein is taken out from anywhere such as a leg or arm first. Second, below and above the blockage of the coronary artery, a cut is made.

Lastly, the vein that was removed is then attached to the coronary artery, providing a new pathway for blood to flow to the heart. In about 70 percent of all surgeries, bypasses are fully successful. Partial relief is acquired in 20 percent of cases. The survival rate five years after bypass surgery is approximately 90 percent. After ten years, the survival rate is even up to 80 percent. Depending on how soon the patient receives medical attention may determine if surgery is successful or not. This is a reason that immediate medical attention is important.

Works Cited

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