HEART ATTACK CAN KILL UNEXPECTEDLY
The plaque build-up causes the arteries to harden and narrow, which may reduce blood delivery to the heart during exercise or stress. This can cause momentary chest pain that comes on when the heart is stressed (a condition known as angina). The plaque eventually ruptures, and its rough surface attracts the type of blood cells that cause clotting. Once the clot forms, no more blood reaches the heart, and part of the muscle usually dies as a result.
Healthy artery vs. an artery with plaque build-up
High blood pressure (hypertension), as well as smoking causes your heart to work harder when pushing against a “high-pressure” system. This increased workload makes your heart larger and more inefficient. High blood pressure also can lead to congestive heart failure, kidney damage or kidney failure, dementia, and blindness.
I decided to take personal responsibility for my health. Good Health Is a Choice that you must make for yourself. It is your health! It is your responsibility. No one cares about your health more than you. Occasionally, inflammatory diseases or cocaine abuse can also cause a heart attack. Stress, anger, or physical exertion may trigger a heart attack if your arteries are clogged and you have heart disease. Doctors do not understand why a heart attack often follows physical or emotional stress. One reason may be that during a stressful episode, your heart's need for oxygen increases but the body is unable to increase the blood flow through the diseased heart (ischaemia). Stress hormones also make arteries narrow, which may cause a break in the fatty material built up in the blood vessel. Researchers have noticed that number of heart attacks increases during earthquakes and other natural disasters.
Severe chest pain is the most frequent symptom of a heart attack, although it is possible to be having a heart attack and not have chest pain at all. Another common symptom is a sensation of heavy pressure on the chest. Signs of a heart attack can be subtle or very obvious, and they vary from person to person. Chest pain from a heart attack, if it is present, can be strong and constant and usually lasts for 30 minutes or more. Many people describe the pain as crushing, while others say it is like squeezing, or burning.
The pain often radiates down the left arm, but can also spread to your neck, back, right arm, jaw or upper chest. Some people feel little pain, while others describe the sensation as similar to heartburn, or a tight feeling in the chest. If you have more than one heart attack in your lifetime, the second attack may feel different from the first, so it's a good idea to be familiar with the possible symptoms.
Areas of pain with heart attack
You are likely to feel anxious, restless and nauseous, and look pale, gray, and sweaty. You may feel faint, weak or short of breath, and have a sense of impending doom. You may even vomit. The pain from a condition called angina (medical term for chest pain due to coronary heart disease) is similar to what you may feel during a heart attack. If you have angina, and the pain does not go away within a few minutes after resting or medication, you may be having a heart attack. Angina is a symptom of a condition myocardial ischaemia (insufficient blood supply to the heart). This occurs when the heart muscle (myocardium) doesn't get as much blood (hence as much oxygen) as it needs for a given level of work. Angina attacks may be brought on by exercise, stress, or excitement, but can even happen when you are at rest. Angina is almost always an indication that you are at risk for a heart attack sometime in the future. Attacks usually only last a few minutes, and the pain can be eased with medication called nitroglycerin. The nitroglycerin pills are placed under the tongue and work almost immediately to control the pain, as they dissolve quickly and enter the bloodstream right away. If you take your medication and rest, but the pain does not go away, it may be due to a heart attack. If pain is not relieved after three nitroglycerin pills, you should seek immediate medical attention, usually by calling for assistance.
Share this information with your family members and caregivers so they learn to recognize the symptoms of a heart attack and when to help you seek emergency treatment. Learn to recognise a Stroke it is a medical emergency. Every second counts!
Know the warning signs of stroke and teach them to others.
Symptoms:
Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm or legs, especially on one side of the body:
Call the emergency number immediately (in Australia 000) if you experience symptoms.
Time lost is brain lost
Your heart ticks away and it is a ticking time bomb!!!