A heart attack is the death of a segment of heart muscle caused by a loss of blood supply. The blood is usually cut off when an artery supplying the heart muscle is blocked by a blood clot.

What are the causes of a heart attack?

While previously only smoking and cholesterol were considered as causes for heart attacks, today, the various causes also include:

• Smoking
• Abnormal cholesterol
• Diabetes
• High blood pressure
• Stress
• Abdominal obesity
• Sedentary lifestyle
• Eating too few fruits and vegetables
• Abstaining from alcohol

What organs are affected?

The heart, as well as the chest, are affected during a heart attack

Symptoms

The symptoms of a heart attack occurring are as follows:

• The following are other possible signs and symptoms of a heart attack occurring:
• coughing
• nausea
• vomiting
• crushing chest pain
• dizziness
• shortness of breath called dyspnea
• face seeming gray in color
• a feeling of terror that life is ending
• feeling awful, generally
• restlessness
• feeling clammy and sweaty
• shortness of breath

Prevention/Treatment

Preventive measures:

• not smoking
• eating a balanced, healthful diet
• getting plenty of exercises
• getting plenty of good quality sleep
• keeping diabetes under control
• keeping alcohol intake down
• maintaining blood cholesterol at optimum levels
• keeping blood pressure at a safe level
• maintaining a healthy body weight
• avoiding stress where possible
• learning how to manage stress

Treatment:

During: manual chest compressions, a defibrillator

Post: aspirin and other antiplatelets, beta-blockers, ACE (angiotensin-converting enzyme) inhibitors, statins, angioplasty, CABG or coronary artery bypass graft.