What are the Primary Reasons for Heart attack?
What are the Primary Reasons for Heart attack?
Introduction
One of India’s finest cricket players, former Indian cricket captain Sourav Ganguly had to undergo a procedure due to blocked coronary arteries. There are countless examples of people who have received timely treatment and now lead a near normal life with some changes. Understanding the reasons for heart attack and detecting risk of heart ailment can go a long way in preventing hospitalization.
Detecting could be from identifying early symptoms or undergoing necessary clinical or genetic tests. ApoB tests also help to determine risk of heart attack. Here is how you need to approach this all important and possibly life saving decision.
What are the reasons for heart attack?
Multiple reasons can contribute to a heart attack. In many cases, different reasons build up or contribute to a heart attack, while in some instances, a single reason could be the cause. Heart attacks, known medically as myocardial infarctions, are due to blockage of the blood flow to the heart. When this blockage of blood flow is long enough it damages that part of the heart muscle. Let’s look at some of the reasons for heart attack:
- Coronary Artery Disease – Buildup of plaques in the coronary arteries is identified as one of the most common causes. This eventually causes a rupture, forming a blood clot and blockage of the artery.
- Age – The probability of a heart attack increases with age. Among genders, men are more at risk, while in women, the risk of heart attack increases after menopause.
- Family – If you have a family history of heart disease, that could also be a reason.
- Smoking – This habit causes damage to the lining of the arteries, increasing the possibility of atherosclerosis and blood clots.
- Hypertension – High blood pressure levels can cause damage to the arteries over a period of time. This will facilitate the buildup of plaque.
- Cholesterol – If you have high levels of low-density lipoprotein, this may end up with plaque buildup.
- Diabetes – High blood sugar levels damage blood vessels and nerves related to the heart.
- Weight – Excessive weight increases some of the above risk factors. For example, you are more likely to end up with high blood pressure, cholesterol, and diabetes.
- Medical conditions such as metabolic syndrome, pre-eclampsia and autoimmune conditions, increase your risk of heart attack. Though these are not direct reasons for heart attack, they are indirect causes.
- Other reasons – In addition to the above, there are other conditions that could trigger a heart attack. For instance, excessive physical exertion, stress, extreme cold weather, coronary Spasm, drug abuse, and blood clotting disorders are possible risk factors.
Sudden heart attack reason that you should know
A category of heart attacks is sudden heart attack, or sudden cardiac arrest. This happens when the heart unexpectedly stops, and totally cuts of flow of blood to the brain and organs. There are multiple reasons for heart attack that occurs suddenly, as outlined below:
- Ventricular fibrillation – This is a life endangering condition when the functioning of the heart to pump blood effectively is severely affected.
- Ventricular tachycardia – This is another serious condition due to rapid heart rate that begins in the ventricles of the heart.
- Dilated cardiomyopathy – In this condition, the heart’s pumping chamber becomes enlarged, and as a result it impacts the pumping of blood.
- Stenosis or regurgitation – This causes sudden cardiac arrest due to heart valves that suddenly malfunction.
- Congenital heart disease – Defects in the heart that are structural in nature and congenital (from birth), can cause sudden cardiac arrest.
- Electrolyte – An imbalance of potassium, magnesium, calcium can impact electrical impulses in the heart.
- Genetic component – Genetic disorders that impact the electrical activity in the heart can cause conditions that result in sudden cardiac arrest.
- Other reasons – This includes, respiratory failure due to lack of oxygen, extreme physical stress, drug abuse, severe Infections like sepsis, myocarditis.
How can I detect the reasons for heart attack?
It is possible to carry out certain tests and detect the possible reasons for heart attack. This includes clinical evaluations and observations of symptoms that can help in opting for additional tests to confirm certain conditions. Let’s look at the right combined approach to understand the reasons that trigger a heart attack.
- Individuals with a family medical history of heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, or high cholesterol need to periodically check for these conditions.
- Carrying out ApoB (Apolipoprotein B) tests will help detect risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease and also reveal possible underlying conditions.
- Tests to ascertain levels of blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol. Cholesterol levels include LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, and triglycerides.
- Blood tests can also look for troponins, that are markers of heart muscle damage.
- Blood tests to ascertain C-Reactive Protein levels that help identify inflammation linked to heart disease.
- Stress tests and pharmacologic tests help to understand the effects of exercise on the heart.
- Coronary calcium scan – This measures the calcium in the coronary arteries, which help to evaluate possible risk of coronary artery disease.
- Genetic testing looks for inherited risk factors by identifying your predisposition especially if there is family history.
- Assessment of your lifestyle will also help understand or predict possible reasons for heart attack. For example, if you are a smoker, or if you consume alcohol heavily.
- Evaluation of certain medical conditions like autoimmune disorders and metabolic syndrome. These conditions increase your risk of heart attack.
Tests that help to predict future and lifetime risk of heart attack
Some of the tests mentioned above help to identify present, elevated risk of heart attack. There are tests that can also tell if you are at future risk of heart attack. This includes any lifetime risk of heart attack. The first category is genetic testing to look for any inherited genetic component of heart disease risk. This could be a direct risk or reasons for heart attack or indirect risk. These tests will also look for any genetic mutations in you that can pose a risk of heart attack. Genetic testing facilities are available in Tamilnadu, and these are simple tests that require you to give a sample of your saliva or blood.
Another type of test is the ApoB test that looks for the levels of a protein that is responsible for transporting LDL and VLDL. Levels more than 90 mg/dL may necessitate certain modifications in lifestyle to reduce the risk.
Medically Reviewed by
Dr.Rajasekar Cardiologist
Dr. Rajasekar is a cardiologist in Chennai, with extensive experience in the field. He completed his MBBS from Madurai Kamaraj University, followed by an MD in General Medicine and a DM in Cardiology from The Tamil Nadu Dr. M.G.R. Medical University (TNMGRMU).
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Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D) from the University of Delhi Experience : Dr. Srinivasan is an experienced pharmacist with a Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the University of Delhi and over 12 years in the field. She has worked extensively in clinical and community pharmacy settings, focusing on patient care, medication management, and drug safety. Dr. Srinivasan also contributes to health and wellness publications and serves as a consultant for pharmaceutical companies and healthcare organizations. Her expertise spans clinical practice, pharmaceutical writing, and regulatory affairs.