How a heart attack occurs - What is a Heart Attack?

BioDigital Systems created this 3D animation to show how a heart attack occurs.

How a heart attack occurs - What is a Heart Attack?

BioDigital Systems created this 3D animation to show how a heart attack occurs.

How to avoid heart disease

heart attack, blood pressure,

Heart Disease overview

Heart Disease is one of the world’s largest health problems today. It not only affects the wealthier nations it is also affecting the poorer ones. Heart Disease covers a wide range of health ailments relating specifically to the heart.

There are many theories and ideas that relate to heart disease. One school of thought for the sudden increase in heart disease is the changes within different lifestyles. People are often less active and eat diets high in fats. Takeaway food is abundant today and often people will eat it due to the increased availability. Some takeaway outlets are now helping cater to a healthier lifestyle by offering a variety of healthy dishes such as salads. People are becoming more aware of the risk of heart disease and choosing to change their diets.

Why exercise? Exercise is extremely important in order to avoid heart disease. Exercise helps to keep the heart at its peak performance and is optimum health is easier to maintain. By using a combination of exercise and a balanced diet, the risk of heart disease is greatly decreased.

Heart Attack Warning Signs

Heart Attack Warning Signs

A heart attack happens when the heart does not get enough blood flow. During a heart attack, heart muscle can be permanently damaged. Many people think a heart attack is sudden, like a “movie” heart attack, where someone clutches her chest and falls over.

But the truth is that many heart attacks start slowly as mild pain or discomfort. These feelings may even come and go. For both women and men, the most common sign of a heart attack is pain or discomfort in the center of the chest. The pain or discomfort can be mild or strong. The discomfort may be constant or it may come and go over several minutes.

Heart Attack Treatment

Heart Attack Treatment
By Catherine Moore

Heart attack treatment has remained a common talk of the world as there is overall belief that no healthcare delivery facility is ideal for proper management of heart attacks. The good news is that heart attack treatment and prevention are available to people who are ready to adhere to certain precautionary measures.

1) Quit smoking: 

This is the single most important element in heart disease treatment and prevention. All over the world, tobacco producers are sweating because of policies against them. The World Health Organization has done everything to protect people from this danger but because life is a choice, they leave the individuals to make their decisions.

Heart Attack Causes

The heart attack is known as myocardial infarction was known as an abrupt and fatal condition in thepast. Nowadays, better understanding of such a condition has given more light to the condition.   

So what are the actual heart attack causes?

Your diet
What you eat can determine your safety and protection from heart ailments like myocardial infarction. Foods that contain very high fat content and high LDL content can increase the risks of heart ailments. People should try putting some more control with their diets by minimizing too much fat, by knowing your cholesterol levels, and by eating foods that are high in fiber, and full of the necessary nutrients and vitamins. You have to be aware that even the fit person can have heart attack due to high cholesterol levels. It is important to put much attention to what you put into your body,

Women Heart Attack Symptoms

It is important if you are a woman and you have symptoms that you seek medical treatment immediately. The in women, the common symptoms are:

o Unexplained fatigue or extreme tiredness
o Shortness of breath
o Nausea (not relieved by antacids or even burping)
o Heart burn that won't go away with antacids and
o Cold sweats
o Chest discomfort
o Pressure low in the chest
o Panic or anxiety attack symptoms without the trigger

Cholesterol Testing Not Enough for Some

Test for Protein Called ApoB Better Measure of Heart Attack, Stroke Risk
By Salynn Boyles
WebMD Medical News
Reviewed by Elizabeth Klodas, MD

March 27, 2008 -- People at high risk for heart attacks and strokes may need even more aggressive cholesterol control than is currently recommended, experts now say.

In a joint statement released Thursday by the American Diabetes Association (ADA) and the American College of Cardiology (ACC), the experts concluded that measuring LDL, or bad, cholesterol may no longer be the best measure of heart health in these patients.

The panel found that once LDL cholesterol is lowered to recommended levels in high-risk patients, testing for the protein ApoB may more accurately identify those still at risk for cardiovascular events.

If ApoB levels are high, patients may need more aggressive lifestyle interventions or larger doses of lipid-lowering statin drugs, even if LDL cholesterol levels are within normal range, the panel concluded.

"LDL measurement is still very important," ADA Vice President of Clinical Affairs Sue Kirkman, MD, tells WebMD. "But for high-risk people who are on statin therapy it may not be enough to get LDL down below 100 or even 70."
LDL and ApoB

Achieving an LDL of below 100 milligrams/deciliter is now widely recommended for patients with two or more risk factors for heart disease and for those with diabetes but no other major heart disease risk factors.

Guidelines call for a target LDL at or below 70 for patients with established heart disease or diabetes with additional risk factors for heart disease.

These risk factors include high blood pressure, tobacco use, and family history of heart disease.

While aggressive cholesterol treatment has contributed to reductions in heart attacks and strokes, these events are still common among high-risk patients who reach the target goals, Kirkman says. This could occur if other cholesterol particles that contribute to risk are still elevated.

ApoB is a molecule that is present in all the cholesterol particles that significantly contribute to the development of atherosclerosis (also known as plaque or hardening of the arteries). The hope is that measuring ApoB will help patients and their doctors better gauge actual risk because ApoB will be a more accurate measure of the total number of all artery-clogging particles (not just LDL). There is growing evidence that ApoB levels are a better indicator of heart risk than total cholesterol or LDL.

For this reason, the joint panel recommends a target ApoB level of less than 90 for high-risk patients without established heart disease and less than 80 for the highest-risk patients with heart disease or with diabetes and other cardiovascular risk factors.
Statins and Lifestyle

The report could lead to more aggressive treatment of high-risk patients with lipid-lowering statins, but the panel concluded that more research is needed to confirm the benefits of this approach.

The group also called for public health initiatives aimed at promoting lifestyle changes that reduce cardiovascular risk.

Kirkman says patients and their doctors often focus on drug treatments, forgetting that lifestyle changes can also have a big impact on risk.

"It is important to remember that lifestyle is a big part of this," Kirkman says. "Getting patients to improve their diets, stop smoking, and exercise are all critical. It isn't all about drugs."