HEART ATTACKS

By Dominic Prentice
 Risk Factors that can Lead to a Heart Attack
Age: Men age 45 and over and women age 55 and older are more likely to
have a heart attack than younger men or women.
Tobacco: Smoing long-term increases the risk of a heart attack.
High Blood Pressure: Over time, this can damage arteries that feed directly
into your heart.
Family History: If your siblings, parents, or grandparents have had early
heart attacks than you may be at an increased risk.
Lack of Physical Activity: An inactive lifestyle contributes to high blood
cholesterol and obesity. People who exercise regularly have better
cardiovascular fitness, decreasing their overall risk.
 What are some of the symptoms for a heart attack?
Common signs or symptoms include:
Pressure, tightness, pain, or a squeezing or aching sensation in the chest area
Nausea, heart burn, indigestion, or abdominal pain
Shortness of breath
Cold Sweat
Fatigue
Sudden dizziness or sudden lightheadedness
It is good to keep in mind that not everyone has the same symptoms. Some people
receive no signs at all, while others receive many signs that increases the likelihood of
having a heart attack.
 How do heart attacks affect the body?
Heart attacks occur when an artery supplying
your heart becomes blocked
Fatty deposits build up over time, forming
plaque in your arteries
If a plaque ruptures, a blood clot can form and
block your arteries, causing the heart attack
During a heart attack, tissue in your heart
muscle dies due to the lack of blood flow
through your arteries.
 How can a heart attack be treated?
Medications
Aspirin: Helps reduce blood clotting
Thrombolytic: Helps dissolve a blood clot, thats blocking blood flow to your heart
Beta Blockers: Helps to relax your heart muscle, slow your heart beat and decrease blood
pressure making the hearts job easier.
Surgical Procedures
Coronary Angioplasty: They insert a long thin tube, thats passed through an artery, usually
in the leg or groin, to a blocked artery in your heart. The tube is equipped with a special
balloon that briefly inflates to open a blocked coronary artery.
Coronary Artery Bypass: This involves doctors sewing veins or arteries in place beyond a
blocked or narrowed coronary artery, this allows the blood to bypass the narrow section.
 Some Facts about Heart Attacks to keep in mind
1.5 million heart attacks occur in the U.S. each year with 500,000
deaths.
Men and women do not always experience the same symptoms. Men
usually experience moderate to severe chest pain, dizziness, or
shortness of breath. Women typically experience pain in the back, arm,
neck, shoulder, throat, and they may experience nausea or fatigue.
Heart Attacks some times do not have any symptoms at all.
Data is also showing that women under the age of 50 had twice the
mortality rate of men after having a heart attack.
In recent years the amount of death from heart disease has decreased
by thousands.
 Works Cited
1. About Heart Attacks. About Heart Attacks, www.heart.org

2. 10 Signs & Symptoms of a Heart Attack. 10 Signs & Symptoms of a Heart Attack - RM
Heartattack, rmheartattack.com/10-symptoms-heart-attack
3. "Smoking and Heart Disease and Stroke." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 24 Feb. 2017. Web. 07 Apr. 2017.
4. "What Is a Heart Attack?" I Am ProHeart - What Is a Heart Attack? N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Apr.
2017.
5. "Heart Attack Facts." Heart Attack Facts. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Apr. 2017.