Heart AttackHeart Attack Risk Factors and Causes |
Physician-developed and -monitored. Original Date of Publication: 02 Jul 2000
|
|
Original Source: http://www.cardiologychannel.com/heartattack/risk-factors-causes.shtml | |
|
Home » Heart Attack » Heart Attack Risk Factors and Causes | 
 |
Heart Attack Risk Factors and Causes
The primary risk factor for heart attack is coronary heart disease (CHD), also called atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis is a condition in which plaques (deposits of cholesterol and fatty materials) form in the arteries and partially or completely block blood flow. When a plaque tears or ruptures, a blood clot (thrombus) can form and completely block the flow of blood to the heart. Most heart attacks are caused by a blood clot in a coronary artery.
Many of the risk factors for CHD and subsequent heart attack are related to being overweight. Risk factors include the following:
- Age (over 55)
- Diabetes
- Elevated levels of certain amino acids and proteins (e.g., homocysteine, C-reactive protein, fibrinogen)
- Gender (male)
- Heredity (family history of heart disease)
- High blood pressure (hypertension)
- High fat diet
- High levels of "bad" (LDL) cholesterol and low levels of "good" (HDL) cholesterol
- Lack of exercise
- Smoking
- Stress (e.g., "type A" or driven personality)
In some cases, heart attack is caused by a severe spasm (contraction) in a coronary artery. During a spasm, the artery narrows and blood flow to an area of the heart decreases or stops. The cause of spasms is unknown, and one can occur in normal arteries as well as those partially blocked by atherosclerosis.
The following also may cause heart attack:
- Complications from bypass surgery or cardiac catheterization
- Congenital heart conditions (i.e., conditions present at birth)
- Coronary embolization (blood clot from elsewhere in the body that breaks away and travels to the heart)
- Drug abuse (e.g., cocaine use may impede blood flow in the heart)
- Inflammatory artery disease (indicated by the presence of markers in the blood such as interleukin-18 [IL-18] or C-reactive protein [CRP])
- Trauma (cut, severe blow, or stab wound to the heart)
About one-quarter of all heart attacks occur without producing any identifiable symptoms. These so-called "silent" heart attacks may only be discovered incidentally by examination of an electrocardiogram (EKG) or by other heart test.
Heart Attack, Heart Attack Risk Factors and Causes reprinted with permission from cardiologychannel.com
© 1998-2009 Healthcommunities.com, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Heart Attack (continued...)
Heart Attack Resources
|
|
|||
 | Join Our Heart Attack Forum
Do you have a question, want to share medical advice, or just need to discuss your situation with someone else having a similar experience? The healthchannels forum is a resource for everyone to share and discuss their health and medical needs with others. |
|
|
 | Living with...Share your story
Do you have a personal health story that you would like to share with others? As a source of free patient education, our goal is to provide our users with trustworthy information and support from others. That's why we've started our "Living with..." sections. | ||
|
Our "Living With..." support pages are a place to share experiences about living with a certain condition, disease, disorder, or illness and for loved ones of those dealing with health-related issues. Many people, especially when newly diagnosed, find comfort in knowing that others are having a similar experience. | |||
 | Stay Updated
Sign up for our newsletter and receive important updates on the medical conditions that are most important to you. | ||
To quickly access health information from your website's browser,
| |||
email this
