Heart Attack: One Can Prevent It

Heart attack is the leading killer of people worldwide. The number of heart attacks is increasing tremendously. About 4 out of every 10 patients die within an hour (mostly) before the medical aid reaches them.

What is Heart Attack?

Heart needs oxygen and other nutrients for its proper functioning. These are supplied to it by the coronary arteries (three major arteries are there) situated on the outer surface of the heart. These vessels get narrowed due to cholesterol deposition (found in oils, animal fat, egg yolk and other foods). If any one of the coronary artery gets completely blocked, a part of the heart muscle gets deprived of its blood supply leading to oxygen deprivation and eventually the muscle part dies. This leads to heart attack, also known as Myocardial Infarction.

Warning Symptoms

Chest Pain – the pain is very severe (usually) and occurs in the center of the chest and may spread out to left arm, left jaw, epigastrium or even back. This pain generally lasts for 20-30 minutes. At times, the attack may be painless or there may be a feeling of uncomfortable pressure in the chest (felt as ‘gas’ or abdominal bloating).

Other accompanying symptoms may include anxiety (fear of death), breathlessness, sweating, palpitations, nausea, vomiting, fainting and unconsciousness (collapse).

Management

Make the person lie down comfortably. If the person is breathless, use a few pillows to raise his/her head. Loosen the clothes and reassure the person. Take the person to the nearby hospital as soon as possible.

After the attack is over, the person needs to adopt all preventive measures.

Prevention

If one follows the five golden rules, the risk of heart attack can be reduced to a great extent. Take a balanced diet (avoid saturated fats), avoid smoking, exercise regularly, avoid stress / tension and go for regular medical check-up.