Heart Disease
What is heart disease?
As you probably know, the heart is a muscle in the chest that pumps blood through the body by way of the blood vessels that make up the circulatory system. The heart has four chambers:
- Left atrium
- Left ventricle
- Right atrium
- Right ventricle
After blood travels throughout the circulatory system it runs out of oxygen and must return to the heart through the right atrium. Then the blood moves to the right ventricle, where it is pumped to the lungs so it can be re-oxygenated. Once the blood is oxygenated, it goes to the left ventricle. The left ventricle then gives the blood a forceful push into the arteries. That powerful push stems from a high-pressure contraction of the heart.
The heart’s powerful contraction raises your blood pressure so that the blood has the force behind it that it need to make its way through the entire circulatory system. It takes a strong and healthy heart to achieve this goal. Furthermore, the heart’s strength is dependent on the blood that it is supplied through the coronary arteries—flexible tubes with a smooth inner lining that enables blood to flow easily without clotting.
What is a heart attack?
A heart attack, which is also referred to by medical professionals as a myocardial infraction, is the deterioration and eventual death of heart muscle usually resulting from a blood clot suddenly blocking the coronary arteries. When the coronary arteries are blocked, the heart cannot get the blood it needs to survive, nor can it get the oxygen that the blood normally carries from the lungs. If the flow of blood to the heart is not restored within about one half hour, irreversible damage to the heart in the form of muscle death may begin to occur.
Who is at risk of heart disease?
Approximately a million and a half people in the U.S. have heart attacks each year. They most frequently occur between the hours of 4 a.m. and 10 a.m. because the body produces higher levels of adrenaline, which can strain the weakened heart, in the morning hours. Since heart attacks are life threatening, it is important to know the warning signs and heart disease symptoms:
- chest pain
- pressure, fullness, or squeezing sensation
- nausea
- abdominal discomfort
- shortness of breath
- arm pain
Do some research to acquaint yourself with the lesser known symptoms. Lots of heart attack victims incur permanent heart damage or even die because they do not recognize their symptoms or because they fail to take them seriously. In fact, most people wait up to two hours after the advent of symptoms to seek professional medical assistance. Some individuals wait twelve hours or more, all the while risking irreversible heart muscle damage and possible death.
In actuality, about 50% of those who die of heart attacks do so within just one hour of the onset of symptoms. In the event that you experience heart attack-like symptoms, seek help IMMEDIATELY by calling 911, even if your family does not have a history of heart disease. The paramedics can often use CPR and defibrillation to get the heart beating regularly again, restoring the blood and oxygen the heart muscle needs to survive. Of course, this is the last resort—you should learn about and practice heart disease prevention methods to avoid such an emergency.