Contents:
- Medical Video: 5 Common Signs of Heart Disease
- How does a heart attack occur?
- Some of the symptoms that arise from a heart attack such as:
- What causes a heart attack?
- Who is at risk for a heart attack?
Medical Video: 5 Common Signs of Heart Disease
Based on the Ministry of Health's Basic Health Research in 2013, in Indonesia, coronary heart disease reached 12.1% of the population. In fact, this disease is more common among young age groups, namely 39% less than 44 years old. As many as 22% of young heart patients are in the range of 15–35 years, quoted from Media Indonesia. So how does a heart attack occur and what causes it?
How does a heart attack occur?
The heart has several types of vessels, of which the most important are coronary arteries. In this artery there is a circulation of oxygen-rich blood to all organs in the body, including the heart. If this artery is blocked or narrowed, blood flow to your heart can drop significantly or stop altogether. This can cause a heart attack.
Some of the symptoms that arise from a heart attack such as:
- Chest pain. This part usually feels like being pressed or squeezed on the left chest.
- Not comfortable in the upper body. Feel pain in one or both arms, back, shoulders, neck, jaw, or the upper part of the abdomen (above the navel). The discomfort lasts more than a few minutes or disappears and returns again. Sometimes accompanied by anxiety and rapid heartbeat.
- Hard to breathe. Usually if this happens the body will sweat cold, the head feels dizzy, and the body feels weak.
- Other symptoms. In some people other symptoms such as coughing, nausea, vomiting often occur in women.
What causes a heart attack?
Coronary heart disease. The most common cause of heart attacks is coronary heart disease. In this condition, plaque buildup forms in the arteries. Then one day this plaque will tear and come loose. If the torn or lumpy plaque is large enough and is carried by the bloodstream to the coronary arteries, this plaque can cause blockages.
Coronary arteries carry oxygen to the heart muscles. When this arterial flow is blocked, oxygen cannot reach the heart muscle, and the heart muscle can die if left for long without oxygen.
Coronary artery spasm. This is another cause of a heart attack. The coronary artery muscle can experience constriction due to spasm. If the spasm is severe, blood flow is blocked so that the heart muscle will lack oxygen.
Who is at risk for a heart attack?
People who are at risk of a heart attack usually have an unhealthy lifestyle and also genetic factors, such as:
- Being overweight is not good for health. Even if you go on a wrong diet, for example, a diet high in saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol, and sodium will also increase cholesterol.
- The content found in cigarettes can also increase the risk of a heart attack.
- Age. The risk of heart attack increases with age. Men are at high risk of having a heart attack after the age of 45 years, and women are at high risk of having a heart attack after the age of 55 years.
- Heredity factor. A very high factor in the family that can increase a heart attack.
- Have high blood pressure. Normal blood pressure is below 120/80 mmHg depending on your age. Having high blood pressure will damage your arteries and accelerate the buildup of plaque.
- Another factor. Excessive exercise, stress also triggers high blood pressure, and the use of illegal drugs such as amphetamines and cocaine.
Heart attacks can happen to anyone, not only parents, but also young people who do not care about a healthy lifestyle. While you are healthy, it is important to maintain a healthy lifestyle and prevent a heart attack.
For that, balance your daily food needs with your activities. Then, do exercise regularly, do not consume alcohol and stay away from cigarettes. Also, protect your family with health insurance so that all health problems including heart problems can be immediately handled by the medical team without the need to delay due to financial limitations.
