Symptoms Of Heart Attack You Should Not Ignore

An estimated of 17 million people dies of cardiovascular diseases, particularly heart attacks and strokes, every year. 

Over 80% of CVD deaths take place in low- and middle-income countries. By 2030, more than 23 million people will die annually from CVDs

Experts say substantial number of these deaths can be attributed to tobacco smoking, which increases by three-fold the risk of dying from coronary heart disease and cerebrovascular disease. 

They list physical inactivity and unhealthy diet as other main risk factors that increases individual risks to cardiovascular diseases.

                                                       

Heart attack is viewed as a global epidemic, making the World Health Organization to advocate the provision of actionable information for development and implementation of appropriate policies.

Symptoms of heart attack

·        Chest discomfort, mild pain

·        Coughing

·        Crushing chest pain

·        Dizziness

·        Dyspnea (Shortness of breath)

·        Face seems Grey

·        A feeling of terror that your life is coming to an end

·        Feeling awful generally

·        Nausea

·        Restlessness

·        Sweaty

·        Vomiting

Myocardial infarction (MI) or acute myocardial infarction (AMI), commonly known as a heart attack, results from the partial interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die. 

This is most commonly due to occlusion (blockage) of a coronary artery following the rupture of a vulnerable atherosclerotic plaque, which is an unstable collection of lipids (cholesterol and fatty acids) and white blood cells (especially macrophages) in the wall of an artery. 

The resulting ischemia (restriction in blood supply) and ensuing oxygen shortage, if left untreated for a sufficient period of time, can cause damage or death (infarction) of heart muscle tissue (myocardium).

Typical symptoms of acute myocardial infarction include sudden retrosternal chest pain (typically radiating to the left arm or left side of the neck), shortness of breath, nausea, vomiting, palpitations, sweating, and anxiety (often described as a sense of impending doom).  

Women may experience fewer typical symptoms than men, most commonly shortness of breath, weakness, a feeling of indigestion, and fatigue. A sizeable proportion of myocardial infarctions (22–64%) are "silent", that is without chest pain or other symptoms.