Heart attack

Heart attack (myocardial infarction) – causes, prevention and treatment

Heart diseases are, along with tumors and lung diseases, the most common deadly diseases of today. In developed countries, the number of people suffering from cardiovascular diseases is extremely high, despite widespread awareness of the consequences of an unhealthy lifestyle.

Heart diseases

The most common cause of death in the world is ischemic heart disease, a condition characterized by reduced blood flow through the heart’s blood vessels, most often due to atherosclerosis, which reduces the heart’s supply of oxygen and nutrients and leads to damage to the heart muscle, and therefore also to the function of the heart.

Myocardial infarction

A heart attack or myocardial infarction is damage to and death (infarction) of heart muscle cells (myocardium) caused by a reduction or complete interruption of blood flow to the heart muscle. The main cause of myocardial infarction is stated to be atherosclerosis of the arteries that supply the heart muscle with oxygen and nutrients.

Causes of heart attack

A heart attack occurs as a result of blockage of one or more arteries that supply the heart with oxygen. Over time, in some people, the coronary arteries narrow due to the accumulation of various substances, such as cholesterol. These buildups in the arteries are called – atherosclerosis. When the arteries narrow due to atherosclerosis, this condition is called coronary artery disease and it is the main cause of most heart attacks.

Another cause of heart attack is a coronary artery spasm, which completely prevents blood flow to the heart muscle.

Very rare causes of heart attack include all conditions in which there is a large mismatch between tissue oxygen consumption and supply, such as hyperthyroidism, extremely low blood pressure, and tumors.

One third of all deaths in the world are caused by cardiovascular diseases, while in Europe statistics show that they are responsible for more than 50% of them. The disease is more common in men, while in women it occurs three times more often after menopause, due to the reduced influence of estrogen.

Risk factors

People at greater risk of developing heart disease are:

• male
• over 50 years of age
• smokers
• with diabetes
• with high blood pressure
• who are exposed to chronic stress
• who are obese and have poor eating habits
• with reduced physical activity

We can act preventively on all of the listed factors, except sex, age, and family history.

Prevention of heart disease

It is never too late to take steps to prevent a heart attack. A few ways to prevent a heart attack:

Medications
Taking medications can reduce the risk of a subsequent heart attack and help your damaged heart function.

Lifestyle changes
Maintaining a normal body weight through a healthy diet, quitting smoking, regular exercise, managing stress, and controlling conditions that can lead to a heart attack (high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes).

Treatment

Many medications are used in the treatment of heart disease, such as: medications for lowering blood pressure, medications for regulating blood fats, diuretics, acetylsalicylic acid (Andol), antiarrhythmics, etc. In some cases, in addition to medications, invasive therapy is also required, which includes the placement of a stent in the heart’s blood vessels and cardiac surgical procedures such as the implantation of a bypass and pacemaker.

Additional advice

Regular physical activity strengthens the heart muscle and contributes to the regulation and reduction of blood pressure while strengthening the entire body.

Excessive salt consumption increases blood pressure, causes the accumulation of excess fluid, and narrows blood vessels. Such a condition leads to blockage of blood vessels and infarction. White sugar is stored in our body in the form of fat, which then deposits on the walls of blood vessels, making them impassable.

Smoking and alcohol consumption contribute to increased blood pressure. Quitting smoking and limiting alcohol consumption to one glass of red wine after lunch will have a positive effect on the health of blood vessels.

Reduce consumption or completely eliminate white flour and animal fat, and increase the intake of oily blue fish, which are rich in omega-3 fatty acids. Include olive oil in your daily diet, incorporate regular physical exercise, especially cardio exercises, such as brisk walking or running in the fresh air.

Prevent heart and blood vessel diseases with regular check-ups! We perform tests for the early detection of complications with the heart and blood vessels.