Heart Attack- Symptom, Causes, Treatment of Heart Attack

Heart Attack is the permanent damage to an area of heart musde due to sudden blockage of one or more of the coronary arteries. Theblockage. which cuts off the blood supply to the muscle, may be due to an embolus (foreign matte rin the blood stream) or thrombosis (the formation of clots) in a coronary vessel damaged by atheroma (fatty deposits in the lining). The medical nameforheartattack is myocardial infarction.

Symptom of Heart Attack

The most common symptom of heart attack is severe, constricting chest pain that may spread to the left arm. The onset of pain is usually sudden, but sometimes may develop slowly over an
hour or so. Pain may also be felt in the neck, right arm, upper abdomen or between the shoulder blades. Associated symptoms may indude breathlessness, cold sweats, feelings of panic, nausea and vomiting, and sometimes loss of consciousness. Damage to the heart musde may be so severe that it causes immediate HEART FAILURE and sometimes sudden death. An irregular heartbeat caused by Ventricular Fibrillation may develop.

Treatment of Heart Attack

A doctor and ambulance should be railed immediately if heart attack is suspected. In hospital the diagnosis is confirmed by ectrocardiograph (ECG) and measurement of enzymes that are reased into the blood by the damaged heart muscle. Immediate treatment is by pain relief, drugs or DEFIBRILLATION to correct heart failure or irregular heartbeat, drugs to help dissolve any dot, anticoagulant drugs (to prevent further dots) in somecases, and drugs to reduce the work of the heart. Subsequently the patient may be treated by coronary ANGIOPLASTYor CORONARY ARTERY BYPASS to prevent further heart attacks.

Outlook of Hear Attack

Most deaths from heart attack occur within the first few hours, usually as a result of ventricular fibrillation and heart failure. People who have had an attack are at increased risk of having a subsequent attack, but the risk can be greatly reduced by angioplasty or bypass; by longterm low-dose aspirin to reduce the risk of thrombosis; by control of high blood pressure and raised blood fats; and by adopting the healthy lifestyle recommended by the National Heart Foundation.

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