What is a heart attack?
Updated 04 September 2013
A heart attack occurs when part of the heart muscle is sufficiently deprived
of blood to result in death of muscle cells. This is an emergency.
A <
http://www.health24.com/Medical/Heart> heart attack occurs when part of
the heart muscle is sufficiently deprived of blood to result in death of
muscle cells. This is called an acute myocardial infarction (AMI) (where
infarct means cell death). Most cases are caused by plaque rupture and
thrombosis.
The symptoms of an AMI are severe - a pressing pain in the centre of the
chest that often spreads to the arms and/or jaw. You may feel extremely
anxious and nauseous. People often describe a feeling of impending doom.
Your blood pressure falls, you look pale and grey, your pulse is rapid and
scarcely perceptible and you are sweating profusely. You may also feel short
of breath.
This is an emergency and you must be rapidly diagnosed and treated in
hospital. About 20% of untreated patients die within the first two hours of
an AMI and another 20% will die in the following four weeks.
Treatment with "clot-busting" medication within the first two to four hours
of the heart attack decreases the chances of early death from abnormal heart
rhythms, so it is very important to get to a hospital as soon as possible.
Heart-attack symptoms different in women
Heart-attack symptoms are often atypical in women - a situation that can
even confuse their doctors.
While men may have the classic central chest pain, women (and their doctors)
often confuse their chest pain with indigestion or heartburn.
Women may also experience:
* jaw pain;
* anxiety;
* shoulder pain;
* sweating;
* shortness of breath;
* dizziness;
* nausea; and
* unusual fatigue.
Recognising early heart attacks helps prevent a larger heart attack, where
more heart function can be lost and recovery may take longer.
Received on Wed Sep 04 2013 - 21:49:26 EDT