What is a heart attack?

A heart attack (myocardial infarction) occurs when a part of the heart muscle dies (permanently damaged) due to insufficient blood flow to that area.

It is a disease known as heart attack, which develops due to sudden decrease or interruption of the blood flow of the vessels feeding the heart for various reasons, resulting in various degrees of cell death in the heart muscle fed by that vessel.

One of every 5 sudden deaths occurs due to a heart attack. Heart attack is one of the main causes of sudden death in adults.

Causes and Risk Factors

Most heart attacks are caused by clots (thrombus) that form in the coronary arteries (the arteries that carry blood and oxygen to the heart muscle). Clots usually form in narrowed coronary arteries due to changes that occur as a result of atherosclerosis. Atherosclerotic plaque inside the artery wall sometimes cracks, triggering clot formation. Clots in the coronary arteries block the flow of blood and oxygen to the heart muscle, which causes the death of heart cells in that area. The damaged heart muscle loses its ability to contract, and the rest of the heart has to do the work of the damaged part.

The risk factors for coronary artery disease and heart attack are generally the same as those for cardiovascular disease: hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, diabetes, smoking, and a family history of coronary heart disease at an early age.

Most of the risk factors mentioned are related to being overweight. Any cause can initiate clot formation on a narrow vessel. Sometimes sudden and overwhelming stress can cause this. In the last few years, new risk factors for coronary artery disease have been identified, such as increased homocysteine, C-reactive protein, and fibrinogen levels. High homocysteine ​​can be treated by adding folic acid to the diet. However, studies on the practical value of these new risk factors are still ongoing and there is still no conclusive evidence that lowering homocysteine ​​levels has positive effects.

Diagnosis (diagnosis) of Heart Attack:

The main complaint of patients having a heart attack is chest pain:

• Chest pain:
  • Behind the breastbone chest pain is the most important symptom of a heart attack; however, especially in diabetics and the elderly, this pain may be very vague or not felt at all (silent heart attack). The pain often radiates from the chest to the shoulders or arms, neck, teeth, jaw, abdomen, or back. Sometimes the pain is felt only in one of these areas.
• Characteristics of Chest Pain:
  • Pain lasts for more than 20 minutes, usually hours and usually not relieved by rest or nitroglycerin, (980710)
  • Pain is severe and blunt in nature. However, it may be sharp or vague
  • The pain may be squeezing, heaviness, pressing,
  • It may feel like a tightness in the chest,
  • “As if an elephant is sitting on the chest” or
  • It can also be felt as indigestion. It is often accompanied by cold sweats and fear of death.

• Other symptoms that may be felt on their own or with chest pain include:
  • Shortness of breath
  • Cough
  • Dizziness and lightheadedness
  • Fainting
  • Nausea and vomiting
  • Feeling of “doomsday”
  • Distress.

When you have chest pain, especially if you have risk factors, you should definitely go to your doctor or a health institution. The diagnosis of heart attack must be made by the doctor.