Heart attacks are by nature ischemic heart ailments. About 12% of the world’s total death count was by ischemic heart diseases, as reported by the World Health Organization. The number is likely to have increased by now. Developed countries are affected the most by the disease, and it is the leading cause of deaths there. And developing countries are not far behind in numbers. Heart attacks are third in the leading ailment list, only next to AIDS and respiratory infections.

What are Heart Attacks?

Acute myocardial infarction is the medical name for a heart attack where the body stops functioning due to a lack of blood flow to the organs. This is caused by the malfunctioning of the heart. Circulation being impeded, there is thus a failure in man’s circulatory system leading to the death of sensitive heart tissues. A lack of oxygen leads to the death of the heart tissues, and the whole body is devastated.

Heart attacks cause death all over the world, leading the list in every aspect. A history of angina or vascular disease, a previous stroke or heart attack, old age, excessive alcohol, the abuse of illegal drugs, smoking, episodes of abnormal heart beat, obesity, high levels of stress, high or low cholesterol, high triglyceride levels, high blood pressure, and diabetes are an elaborate, but by no means exhaustive list of probable risk factors that might contribute to a heart attack.

Milder Symptoms in Women

In women, symptoms can sometimes be misleading because severe chest pain is not experienced in a vast majority of cases. Many women complain of a typical “tightness” in the cheat area, but did not experience pain. This simply means that there are different symptoms in men and women which need to be reviewed to avoid a wrong diagnosis which could further be troubled by postponing treatment.

Shortness of breath, basic feeling of weakness, palpitations, upper abdominal pressure, and unusual fatigue, indigestion, clammy sweating, and sleep disturbances are some of the symptoms of heart attacks, typically in women. We should never suppose, however, that these supposedly “milder” symptoms cause any less trouble; heart in women can be as devastating as that in men, and the fact hardly needs an elaboration.

Afterwards: Muscle Death

A good percentage of muscle death is certainly fatal to life, and those are the times we popularly call as the ones involving “heart failure”. Even severe attacks can be withstood if somehow muscle death is lower. Heart muscles typically start to remodel after the death of a muscle by stretching and slackening so as to cover the area of expansion and contraction covered by the erstwhile dead muscle. When the process is widespread and drawn out, the muscles weaken and can fail.

Cost of Medical Treatment

Now, a heart attack was always a costly disease to begin with. Treatment included being pampered in the best facilities available. Nowadays, the medical units providing cardiac treatment may be all the happier for the rising costs, but the heart attack victim is likely to breakdown again after he (or she) sees the bills. The rising cost of superior equipment and medicines have led to an overall increase in prices, adversely affecting cardiac treatment.

Author Bio: For more information please visit our CPR & First Aid Training website.

Category: Medicines and Remedies
Keywords: Medical Treatment,myocardial infarction ,blood flow ,Heart Attack Symptoms