Heart Attack

What is a heart attack?

A heart attack happens when there is a sudden loss of blood flow to part of your heart muscle. The most common cause of a heart attack is coronary heart disease. A heart attack occurs when a coronary artery, which supplies blood to your heart, becomes blocked. The most common sign of a heart attack is chest discomfort or pain, which can spread to your arms, neck, jaw, or back. Chest discomfort or pain can last for several minutes or come and go. A heart attack requires emergency treatment to restore blood flow to your heart.

A heart attack occurs when the flow of blood to the heart is severely reduced or blocked. Like all other tissues in our body heart muscles also need oxygen rich blood to function properly. Now the arteries wrapping around the heart is called coronary arteries, which supply the oxygen-rich blood to the heart.

Coronary artery disease is the main cause of a heart attack. The blockage of arteries is usually due to a buildup of fat, cholesterol, and other substances. The fatty, cholesterol-containing deposits are called plaques. The process of plaque buildup is called atherosclerosis.

Sometimes, a plaque can rupture and form a clot that blocks blood flow. A lack of blood flow, typically caused by a blockage in a coronary artery, can damage or destroy part of the heart muscle. When a part of your heart can’t pump because it’s dying from a lack of blood flow, it can disrupt the pumping sequence for your entire heart. That reduces or even stops blood flow to the rest of your body, which can be deadly if not addressed in time. A heart attack is also called a myocardial infarction. A less common cause is a severe spasm, or sudden contraction, of a coronary artery that can stop blood flow to the heart muscle.

Signs and symptoms of a heart attack:

Chest pain was thought to be a universal symptom of heart attacks for a long time, but in reality, the symptoms vary based on several factors, including gender, age, and health profile. A lot of heart damage happens in the first 2 hours following a heart attack. A most common symptom is mild pain or discomfort in your chest that may come and go, which is also called “stuttering” chest pain. Sometimes it feels like an elephant is sitting on your chest. You may experience upper body pain or discomfort, including arms, left shoulder, back, neck, jaw, or stomach. Your heart may beat faster or irregularly. You may have stomach discomfort that feels like indigestion. Shortness of breath, which may leave you feeling like you can’t get enough air, even when you’re resting. You may also experience unexplained sweating.

Heart attack symptoms in Women:

Chest pain, unusual fatigue lasting for several days or sudden severe fatigue, sleep disturbances, anxiety, lightheadedness, shortness of breath, indigestion or gas-like pain, upper back, shoulder, or throat pain, jaw pain, or pain that spreads up to your jaw. Now, one of the most important concerns is how to know if it is heartburn or a heart attack, as both can have similar symptoms.

Well, there are some key differences that will help you to differentiate them.

Location of pain:

In a heart attack, the pain is usually felt in the center or left side of the chest, and may spread to other areas like the arms, jaw, neck, back, or stomach. In heartburn, the pain is usually felt in the upper abdomen and may radiate to the chest or throat.

Nature of pain:

In a heart attack, the pain is often described as a tightness, pressure, squeezing, or heaviness in the chest, and may be accompanied by shortness of breath, sweating, nausea, vomiting, or lightheadedness. In heartburn, the pain is usually a burning or gnawing sensation that is worsened by eating, lying down, or bending over.

Duration of symptoms:

In a heart attack, the pain typically lasts for more than a few minutes, and may come and go or persist continuously. It may not go away with rest or antacid medications

In heartburn, the pain usually lasts for a few minutes to several hours, and can be relieved by taking antacids or changing positions.