Myocardial infarction or heart attack is the heart muscle damage that occurs due to insufficient blood supply because of one of the arteries’ thrombosis. The main sign of myocardial information is severe chest pain. Often this pain extends to the left half of the body – the arm, shoulder, neck, and shoulder blade (“Heart attack symptoms,” 2020). The patient may experience an attack of fear, and drugs will not be able to relieve the pain. Although the symptoms are excruciating and frightening, their characteristics help identify the problem accurately and provide the necessary help.
Competent and rapid actions when the first signs of a heart attack are showing save many lives and facilitate the patient’s rehabilitation. If the typical pain appears, it is necessary to call the ambulance team and leave the patient in maximum peace before their arrival – to lie in a convenient pose, take a sedative and painkiller medicine. It is also essential to consider that there are atypical forms of infarction masquerading as other diseases:
- Gastralgic – abdominal pain, weakness, drop in blood pressure, tachycardia.
- Asthmatic – it is difficult for the patient to breathe, and drugs designed to help do not work.
- Cerebral (similar to a stroke) is characterized by confusion, speech problems.
- A “silent” heart attack is without pain, and the only signs are severe fatigue and shortness of breath after physical efforts, which were previously performed without difficulty.
The appearance of such a condition as myocardial infarction largely depends on the lifestyle a person leads. Harmful habits, such as smoking and eating abuse, increase the chances of illness. An unhealthy diet leads to excess weight and increased blood sugar. These factors, as well as nicotine, significantly worsen the condition of blood vessels. A careful attitude to health can prevent many diseases, among which is a heart attack.
Reference
Heart attack symptoms, risk, and recovery. (2020). Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Web.