Heart Attack

As many as one in three people will be dead within 24 hours of having a heart attack. But most people who survive the first month will still be alive five years later. So prompt treatment is essential, as is prevention.

What causes a heart attack?
The heart is a large muscular pump. It beats 70 times a minute to push blood around the body. Like any busy muscle, the heart tissues need a good supply of blood from their blood vessels, which are called the coronary arteries Diseases that narrow the coronary arteries can cause a shortage of oxygen and essential nutrients in the heart muscle. This triggers chest pain known as angina, especially when the heart is made to work extra hard, for example during exercise. If someone has angina, the more severe the narrowing of the arteries, the less they can do before they experience pain.

How do heart attacks happen?
What usually happens in a heart attack is that one of the fatty plaques cracks and a blood clot forms on top of it. It is this clot that finally blocks the artery completely. There are other, rarer causes of a heart attack, such as a dissection or splitting of the wall of the coronary artery.