| A lot is written about the so called common signs | | | | myocardial infarctions are silent, without chest pain |
| of Heart Attacks and what they are supposed to | | | | or other symptoms.|It does have to be |
| typically consist of but what is fact and what is | | | | remembered though that 25 percent of all |
| fiction? Here we take a look at the basic issues | | | | Myocardial Infarctions occur in silence and without |
| surrounding Heart Attacks or Myocardial | | | | classic symptoms such as chest pain.A heart |
| infarctions. | | | | attack is a medical emergency, and people |
| A Heart Attack is also known as a Myocardial | | | | experiencing chest pain are advised to alert their |
| Infarction or MI or AMI when referred to as an | | | | emergency medical services, because prompt |
| Acute Myocardial Infarction.These occur when the | | | | treatment can be crucial to survival. To be quite |
| blood supply to part of the heart is interrupted | | | | honest in situations like these, minutes and |
| causing some heart cells to die. This is most | | | | seconds do matter. |
| commonly due to occlusion (blockage) of a | | | | Heart attacks are the leading cause of death for |
| coronary artery following the rupture of a | | | | both men and women all over the |
| vulnerable atherosclerotic plaque.An unstable | | | | world.Important risk factors are previous |
| collection of white blood cells (especially | | | | cardiovascular disease (such as angina, a previous |
| macrophages and lipids (like cholesterol) collectively | | | | heart attack or stroke), older age (especially men |
| known as Athersclerotic plaque separate from the | | | | over 40 and women over 50), tobacco smoking, |
| wall of an artery.The end result of all of this | | | | diet and exercise. |
| (called ischemia) which is a restriction in blood | | | | As is also imagined there are considerably more |
| supply) has been known to cause damage or | | | | factors that are actually taken into consideration |
| death of the heart muscle tissue known as | | | | such as additional medical conditions of which |
| Myocardium. | | | | potential or actual diabetes is one, obesity, high |
| Though symptoms of a Heart Attack do differ | | | | blood pressure or hypertension and/or incidence |
| there are certain classic symptoms such as | | | | of kidney disease |
| shortness of breath, nausea, vomiting, pain in the | | | | Included in amongst immediate treatment for a |
| arm, back and neck, and a growing sense of | | | | suspected or acute heart attack is increased |
| anxiety (also known as impending doom). Women | | | | oxygen, the introduction of aspirin and also a liquid |
| may experience fewer typical symptoms than | | | | form of nitroglycerin known as sublingual glyceryl |
| men, most commonly shortness of breath, | | | | trinitrate.Pain relief is also often given, classically |
| weakness, a feeling of indigestion, and | | | | morphine sulfate. |
| fatigue.{Approximately one quarter of all | | | | |