A heart attack occurs when a portion of the heart muscle dies, due to lack of oxygen. This usually happens after a chronic obstruction of the coronary artery. The coronary arteries supply the heart with blood.
After a serious health crisis, such as a heart attack, you'd think every smoker would stop. However: only half of the smokers stop smoking after experiencing a heart attack. This says something about nicotine addiction and the difficulty of quitting smoking.
- What is a heart attack?
- Smoking and the Risk of Heart Attack
- Symptoms of a Heart Attack
- Other major Risk Factors
What is a heart attack?
A heart attack occurs when part of the heart muscle dies, due to lack of oxygen. The hearts major function is to let blood circulate throughout the body. To do this, the heart itself needs oxygenated blood otherwise it dies quickly. The heart is provided with oxygen-rich blood by the coronary arteries. People with narrowing in the coronary arteries, may have an increased risk of suffering heart attacks.
If the blood in the narrowed coronary artery suddenly is blocked, a heart attack follows. The part of the heart that is provided with blood by the coronary artery very quickly dies due to lack of oxygen. That portion of the heart is no longer able to function.
Smoking and the Risk of Heart Attack
Smoking has for long been known as a risk factor of heart attack. Smoking accelerates the narrowing in the arteries, which can eventually lead to a heart attack. Because smoking increases the risk of a heart attack, this may occur at a extraordinary young age. By giving up smoking, this process is stopped and thus the risk of a heart attack is reduced. You can contact your doctor if you need advice or help to giving up smoking. You might also ask help from centers specializing in quitting smoking aid.
Depending on the number of cigarettes you smoke in general, you have a two to five times greater risk of heart disease. For heart patients who quit smoking after a heart attack or bypass surgery, this has a very beneficial effect on their prognosis. The risk of a subsequent infarct decreases by as much as 50%!
Symptoms of a Heart Attack
- Persistent pain, usually in the middle of the chest
- Pain that radiates to the jawbones, shoulders, one or both arms, stomach and/ or back.
- Breathing difficulties
- Cold sweats
- Gray skin color
- Sometimes loss of consciousness
- Nausea and/ or vomiting
- Strong tingling sensation in hands or fingers
Other major Risk Factors
Other important risk factors for a heart attack are: eating fat, too much tension or stress, little exercise, obesity, alcohol abuse, excessive cholesterol and high blood pressure. Responsible eating and drinking (not to eat to fat and being not drinking to much alcohol) is good for the cholesterol and prevents obesity. Healthy exercise is a further preventive step, especially because it also decreases stress and has a good effect on your blood pressure.
