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Heart Attack
A heart attack also called myocardial infarction or MI occurs when an area of heart muscle is completely deprived of blood, and the heart muscle cells die.
A heart attack may result when plaque inside the heart arteries breaks open or ruptures, forming a clot that significantly blocks blood flow through the artery.
A plaque is made up of cholesterol, white blood cells, calcium, and other components, and it is surrounded by a fibrous cap. This fibrous cap may tear or rupture if blood suddenly flows faster, or the artery suddenly narrows. A tear or rupture signals the body to repair the injured artery lining, much as it might heal a cut on the skin, by forming a blood clot to seal the area. A blood clot that forms in an artery can completely block blood flow to the heart muscle and cause a heart attack.
The pain of a heart attack often occurs with other symptoms, including:
- Chest discomfort or pain that may be crushing or squeezing or may feel like a heavy weight on the chest.
- Chest discomfort or pain that occurs with:
o Sweating.
o Shortness of breath.
o Nausea or vomiting.
o Pain that spreads from the chest to the neck, the jaw, or one or both shoulders or arms.
o Dizziness or lightheadedness.
o A fast or irregular heartbeat.
o Loss of consciousness.
The pain of a heart attack usually will not go away with rest.
It is important to recognize the early stages of a heart attack and to seek emergency care. Medical treatment is needed to prevent death. Sometimes medicines can be given to reduce the damage to the heart muscle caused by a heart attack.
Last Updated: May 25, 2007
Author: Jeannette Curtis Caroline Rea, RN, BS, MS
Medical Review: Patrice Burgess, MD - Family Medicine Adam Husney, MD - Family Medicine Kathleen Romito, MD - Family Medicine
Interactive Tool: Are You at Risk for a Heart Attack?
What does this tool measure?
Click here to find your risk of heart attack.
This interactive tool measures your chance of having a heart attack in the next 10 years. The tool uses the values you enter to calculate your risk score. The calculation is based on information from the Framingham Heart Study. During the past 50 years, the Framingham Heart Study has studied the progression of heart disease and its risk factors.
The values you enter include the most important risk factors for heart disease. They are as follows:
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Age and gender.
The number of people affected by heart disease increases with age in men after age 45 and in women after age 55. - Smoker.
Select "yes" if you have smoked any cigarettes in the past month. Quitting smoking may be the most important step you can take to reduce your risk. Systolic blood pressure. - Systolic blood pressure
is the first number of your blood pressure reading. For example, if your reading is 120/80 (120 over 80), your systolic blood pressure is 120. - Blood pressure medicine.
Medicines used to treat high blood pressure include diuretics, angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs), beta-blockers, calcium channel blockers, and direct renin inhibitors. Enter "yes" if you take one of these medicines. - HDL cholesterol.
HDL, or high-density lipoprotein, is the "good" cholesterol because it helps prevent cholesterol from building up in your arteries. The higher your HDL, the better. An HDL of 60 mg/dL and above protects against heart disease. An HDL of less than 40 mg/dL puts you at major risk of heart attack. - Total cholesterol.
Total cholesterol is the sum of all the cholesterol in your blood. The higher your total cholesterol, the greater your risk for heart disease. A total cholesterol of 240 mg/dL and above puts you at twice the risk of heart disease compared with someone whose cholesterol is below 200 mg/dL. Less than 200 mg/dL gives you a lower risk for heart disease.
Last Updated: November 24, 2006
Author: Douglas Dana Kathe Gallagher, MSW
Medical Review: Caroline S. Rhoads, MD - Internal Medicine Robert A. Kloner, MD, PhD - Cardiology
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