What Is A Heart Attack

What Is A Heart Attack And Its Risk Factors?

There has been a significant increase in the incidence of heart attacks in many parts of the world. This condition can be attributed to the kind of lifestyle that people engage to. One of the most asked questions regarding this health condition is “What is a heart attack and its risk factors?” This is a very important question that is asked by health- conscious individuals who want to reduce their chances of having heart attack.

Before anything else, what is a heart attack? Heart attack, also known as myocardial infarction, is a medical emergency wherein a blood vessel that supplies oxygen- rich blood into the sections of the heart muscle is suddenly blocked. The blockage can cause permanent damage to the affected heart muscle. There are a lot of factors that increase the risk of experiencing heart attack. Among the non-modifiable risk factors are old age, family history of hypertension and heart problems, and the male sex. On the other hand, the modifiable risk factors include a high fat and high salt diet, lack of adequate physical activity, presence of high blood pressure, excessive stress, smoking, and alcohol drinking. In general, these risk factors are related to the type of lifestyle of an individual. The prevention and management of heart attack is focused more on the modifiable risk factors. By eliminating or reducing these variables, the possibility of experiencing heart attacks can be reduced in significant levels. Unfortunately, what is a heart attack’s common cause is usually done deliberately by the individual. For example, some people who have high blood pressure refuse to implement changes in their diet despite the presence of high cholesterol levels in their blood.

What is a heart attack goes beyond the scientific explanation of the pathophysiologic mechanism of the said condition. More than anything else, individuals who want to prevent heart attack should focus more on knowing the risk factors of heart attack and other chronic lifestyle- related disorders. On top of these, the individuals who are greatly at risk for these medical conditions should observe changes in the type of their lifestyle