What causes heart attacks? Risk factors and prevention

also called heart attack myocardial infarction (MI) occurs when blood flow to the heart is suddenly interrupted. This can lead to damage to the heart muscle. Treatment is the only way to avoid irreparable damage from a heart attack.

This article explains the causes, triggers, warning signs, and prevention of heart attacks.

Main cause: Coronary heart disease

Most heart attacks are caused by a disease also called coronary heart disease. coronary artery disease.

atherosclerosis Causes coronary heart disease. Atherosclerosis is the buildup of plaque within the arteries. Cholesterol, fat, calcium, and inflammatory blood cells form plaque. As it builds up, it narrows the arteries, reducing the blood supply to the heart and other organs. This accumulation can begin in childhood.

Plaques can rupture and cause blood clots to form. If the blood clot is large enough, it can partially or completely block blood flow to the heart, causing a heart attack.

Almost 50% of Americans between the ages of 45 and 84 have atherosclerosis. But they may not know it. In the early stages of atherosclerosis, there may not be any warning signs. In some cases, nearby blood vessels may compensate for the reduced blood flow from the affected artery to the heart.

Things that can increase your risk of developing coronary heart disease include:

• Aging, specifically, begins around age 45 for men and age 55 for women.
• Have a family history of coronary heart disease
• have high blood pressure
• high cholesterol
• not getting enough physical activity
• not getting enough sleep
• Environmental factors such as air pollution

Additional risk factors are discussed next in “What Increases Your Risk of Heart Attack?” section. These are the same risk factors associated with coronary heart disease.

Other causes of heart attack

In addition to coronary heart disease, there is also a condition called MINOCA (MINOCA for short). Myocardial infarction due to non-obstructed coronary artery, which can also cause a heart attack. This is commonly seen in young people, especially young women of color.

With MINOCA, when your health care provider performs a heart imaging test called an angiogram, no signs of heart disease will be seen. However, blood flow to the heart becomes poor, leading to a heart attack.

MINOCA can have several causes.

• A buildup of plaque that causes erosion of the artery rather than destruction. Again, this type of accumulation cannot be seen in the images.
• Coronary artery spasm, or rapid sudden narrowing of the arteries that carry blood to the heart
• coronary artery embolism A blood clot travels through the bloodstream and becomes lodged in a coronary artery, blocking blood flow. This is more common in pregnant women and people with chronic medical conditions. atrial fibrillation (abnormal heart rhythm) or Thrombocytopenia (low number of platelets, blood cells involved in clotting).
• Spontaneous coronary artery dissection, or SCAD, occurs when a blood vessel ruptures. Although uncommon, SCAD is the most common cause of heart attacks in pregnant and postpartum people.

Like coronary heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and smoking can increase your risk of MINOCA. However, these health problems are less common in patients who have had a heart attack due to MINOCA compared to heart attacks due to coronary heart disease.

Less common causes of heart attacks

Here’s a closer look at some of the less common causes of heart attacks, such as drug abuse and lack of oxygen.

drug abuse

Certain recreational drugs can increase your risk of heart attack, including:

• cocaine
• ecstasy
• heroin
• Amphetamines in various forms such as speed and crystal meth

Researchers sometimes refer to cocaine as “the perfect heart attack drug.” It can cause an increase in blood pressure and heart rate, and can cause atherosclerosis. These effects can occur even among people who consider themselves merely recreational users. Most cocaine-induced heart attacks occur within a few hours of use.

Oxygen deficiency (hypoxia)

Lack of oxygen can cause a heart attack (hypoxia). This can occur when oxygen levels in the blood drop due to causes such as carbon monoxide poisoning or when the lungs don’t work properly. In this case, the heart does not receive enough oxygenated blood, causing myocardial damage. As a result, a heart attack occurs.

What increases the risk of heart attack?

The risk of a heart attack depends on certain risk factors. This includes risk factors you can control, factors you can’t control, and health conditions that may increase your risk.

Risk factors you can control

Risk factors for heart attack that can be controlled include:

Uncontrollable risk factors

Risk factors for heart attack that are out of your control include:

• Risk increases with increasing age
• Have a family history of heart disease or heart attack
• after menopause
• Men have a higher risk of heart attack at a younger age, but after menopause the risk becomes about equal for all genders.

Conditions that increase your risk of heart attack

Certain chronic health conditions may increase your risk of heart attack, including:

How to prevent heart attack

Although you cannot eliminate all risk factors to avoid a heart attack, you can lower your risk by making some lifestyle changes.

• Focus on healthy food choices such as vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and lean protein sources. Limit your sugar and salt intake.
• Do physical activity every day. If you’re new to regular exercise, just walking for a few minutes each day can help.
• If you smoke, seek help to quit.
• Try to maintain a healthy weight.
• Aim to get enough sleep. Most adults need 7 to 9 hours of sleep each night.
• Limit the amount you drink or avoid alcohol completely. Current guidelines say this means no more than one alcoholic drink per day for women and no more than two drinks per day for men. If you don’t drink alcohol, continue to avoid alcohol.
• If you have high blood pressure, work with your health care provider to lower your blood pressure. This includes choosing low-sodium foods.
• Monitor your cholesterol. Aim to get your LDL (or “bad” cholesterol) below 70 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dl), while also working to increase your HDL (“good” cholesterol).
• Do everything you can to manage your stress.

When to seek emergency medical care

You should seek emergency care any time you or someone you are with has any of the following signs of a heart attack:

• Chest pain or feeling like there’s an elephant in your chest
• dizzy
• extreme fatigue
• indigestion
• nausea/vomiting
• Pain in the jaw, arms, and upper back
• shortness of breath
• sweat a lot

Certain heart attack signs and symptoms are more common in women, such as extreme fatigue, nausea, and sweating before and during a heart attack.

summary

Most heart attacks are caused by atherosclerosis, or blockage of one or more arteries leading to the heart. Other diseases, such as MINOCA, can cause a heart attack even in the absence of typical coronary artery disease. Drug misuse and hypoxia can also cause heart attacks.

Risk factors that increase the likelihood of a heart attack include older age, family history of heart disease, smoking, and high blood pressure. Having certain health conditions, such as diabetes or lupus, also increases your risk of a heart attack.

Healthy choices like getting enough physical activity, eating nutrient-rich foods, and not smoking can all go a long way in preventing heart attacks.