Important Facts to Know about Heart Attack
Heart attack, also known as Myocardial Infarction, is very common in the country. In fact, it is so random that it happens to people every 40 seconds. The heart is a muscle that needs proper nourishment with oxygen and this oxygen is supplied to the heart through the blood. When the arteries to a certain segment of the heart are collapsed or blocked, the oxygen supply to the heart is stopped and as a result, the heart muscles begin to die. This is what is known as a heart attack in medical terms. The risk increases for males over the age of 45 and for females over the age of 55 years. With age, inner walls of the arteries become narrower due to the deposits of fatty materials which are called plaque. When an area of this plaque breaks, some blood tends to stick around in the damaged segment of the artery and forms blood clots that prevent the easy flow of blood to the heart. This causes chest pain and ultimately results in a heart attack. It is different from cardiac arrest as during a heart attack blood cannot reach the heart, whereas cardiac arrest is when the heart stops beating altogether due to some malfunctions in the heart.