Causes and Prevention

Causes of Heart diseases as well as heart attack:  Coronary artery disease causes most heart attacks. In coronary disease, one or more of the heart arteries are blocked by cholesterol-containing deposits called plaques.  Plaques can narrow the arteries, reducing blood flow to the heart.  If the plaques break open, it can cause a blood clot in the heart.  A heart attack may be caused by a complete or partial blockage of a heart(coronary) artery.   Doctors can classify the heart attack by electrocardiogram (ECG) result to describe these types of heart attack.  

Not all heart attacks are caused by blocked arteries.  Other causes include coronary artery spasm.  This is severe squeezing of a blood vessel that's not blocked.  The artery generally has cholesterol plaques or there is early hardening of the vessel due to smoking or other risk factors. 

Gum disease:  It can be indirectly a cause of heart disease or heart attack (Harvard health publishing).

Certain infections:  Covid-19 and other viral infections may cause damage to the heart muscle.  

Spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD): This life-threatening condition is caused by a tear inside a heart artery. 

Risk Factors for the heart diseases as well as heart attack: 

Age - Men aged 45 and older and women aged 55 and older are more likely to have a heart attack than younger men and women.

Tobacco use- This includes smoking and long-term exposure to secondhand smoke. 

High blood pressure - Over time, high blood pressure can damage arteries that lead to the heart.  High blood pressure that occurs with other conditions, such as obesity, high cholesterol or diabetes, increases the risk of heart attack more.  

High cholesterol or triglycerides, obesity, diabetes, Metabolic syndrome, family history of heart attack, not enough exercise, Unhealthy diet, Stress, Illegal drug use, a history of preeclampsia, an autoimmune condition, such as rheumatoid arthritis or lupus can increase the risk of the heart attack.   

Prevention:  

• Not to smoking or drinking alcohol. 

• Exercising (Aerobic) 30 to 45 min in a day five to six days in a week.  

• Eating a heart healthy diet all the time. 

• Maintain a healthy weight, getting quality sleep, managing stress, monitoring heart condition by blood, CT scanning, ECG scanning or testing calcium score.

•  Taking steps to prevent infections

• Follow HH ( Healthy Heart) and RTV( RUN, TEST & VERIFY) cycles regularly( These two cycles developed by the author).                                         

 Source of knowledge: NIH (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute). 

  For more details about the heart attack and heart disease please, follow the Heart, Lung and blood Institute website.