Important Causes of Heart Attack to Know
Heart attack, or it can be called a myocardial infarction, is a type of heart disease that occurs when blood does not flow to the heart. This results in the muscles in the heart not getting an adequate supply of oxygen. Heart attacks are common in adults or the elderly (elderly), but the cause of heart attacks can also occur at a young age. What exactly causes a heart attack and what are the risk factors? Check out the following explanation.
Identify the main causes of heart attacks
Some of the conditions below are the main causes of heart attacks:
1. Coronary heart disease
You could say coronary heart disease is the main cause of heart attacks. Launching the Mayo Clinic, a heart attack can occur when there is a blockage in the coronary arteries, which are one of the main blood vessels that surround the heart. How can blockage occur?
Initially, the coronary arteries become narrower because of the accumulation of various substances or substances, one of which is cholesterol. This cholesterol buildup is called plaque. This narrowing of the blood vessels makes it more difficult for blood to flow to the heart through the arteries.
Over time, the plaque that builds up in the blood vessels will break down and spread cholesterol and other substances into the bloodstream. Blood clots will form at the site of the plaque rupture. If the blood clot is large enough, it can block blood flow to the arteries.
Of course this makes the heart muscles not receive oxygen and nutrients as needed. This is what makes coronary artery disease a major cause of heart attacks.
Based on the blockage, the types of heart attacks caused by coronary artery disease are divided into two. Complete blockage of the coronary arteries is called ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), which is a more serious type of heart attack.
Meanwhile, a partial blockage of the coronary arteries is called Non ST elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI). The treatment for a heart attack may be different, depending on the type of heart attack experienced by the patient.
2.Coronary Artery Spasm (CAS)
Although it is still relatively rare compared to coronary heart disease, coronary artery spasm (CAS)is one of the conditions that can also be the cause of a heart attack. This condition causes temporary narrowing of the arteries.
However, even if only temporarily, coronary artery spasm can also cause blockages in the flow of blood to the heart. If not treated immediately, the spasm or narrowing that occurs can cause chest pain and a heart attack.
Slightly different from chest pain that usually appears after strenuous physical activity, spasms often appear when you are resting. For example at midnight or in the morning.
Usually, CAS occurs due to the use of illegal drugs, stress, exposure to extreme cold air, and smoking habits. Therefore, the way to prevent a heart attack is to reduce habits that are not good for your heart health.
3. Use of illegal drugs
Another cause of heart attack is the use of illegal drugs. This type of drug is a stimulant, a class of drugs that can activate the central nervous system, thereby increasing energy and feelings of excitement. Yes, excessive use of stimulants can indeed cause a heart attack.
One of the stimulants, namely cocaine, can affect blood pressure and arteries. Typically, cocaine in powder form is snorted through the nose and absorbed into the body, or dissolved in water and injected into the body via the bloodstream.
In fact, even if cocaine is only used occasionally, users can experience high blood pressure, stiffer arteries, and thicker heart muscle walls than people who don’t use it.
All of these conditions are known to cause heart attacks, because these three conditions can make the coronary arteries narrow and block blood flow to the heart. In general, cocaine use is a common cause of heart attacks in young people.
4. Hypoxemia
The next cause of subsequent heart attacks is hypoxemia. However, the cause of this one heart attack may be classified as less common than coronary heart disease.
Hypoxemia is a condition that occurs due to low levels of oxygen in the blood. Usually, hypoxemia is caused by carbon monoxide poisoning or the lungs cannot function normally.
Hypoxemia can cause hypoxia, which is a condition when the tissues in the body don’t receive enough oxygen. In addition, hypoxemia can also cause damage to the heart muscle, which can cause a heart attack.
Conditions that can cause heart attacks at a young age
Apart from the causes mentioned above, there are also several conditions that can cause heart attacks at a young age. These conditions are also classified as dangerous and have the potential to cause heart attacks in both men and women under the age of 40. Among others are:
1. Kawasaki disease
Kawasaki disease is a rare disease that usually affects children. Kawasaki disease causes inflammation or swelling of the body’s tissues. Therefore, if not treated immediately, the swelling can spread to the arteries to the heart.
The swelling that occurs also triggers long-term heart problems such as blood clots to heart attacks.
Sometimes Kawasaki disease affects the coronary arteries by weakening the walls of these blood vessels. If the walls are weakened, the pressure from the blood flow through the blood vessels to the heart causes the arteries to swell outward, causing resilience to the outer skin.
This condition is also known as anurism. If blood clots form during anurism, the arteries become blocked and can cause heart attacks at a very young age.
In addition, Kawasaki disease that is often experienced by children can also cause swelling of the heart muscle and abnormal heartbeat. Generally, Kawasaki disease only lasts up to 5-6 weeks in children.
Even so, not all children who experience Kawasaki disease will experience arterial damage. Meanwhile, you may need to be careful because there are also children who have damaged arteries and cannot be repaired.
2.Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (hypertrophic cardiomyopathy)
Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy also known as hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is one of the causes of heart attacks that are often experienced at a young age. Usually, people who experience this condition are hereditary or young athletes.
Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is a disease that occurs when the heart muscle is abnormally thickened. When the heart muscle thickens, it becomes more difficult for the heart to pump blood. Unfortunately, this condition often goes unnoticed because there are almost no prominent symptoms of this condition.
In some people with this condition, thickened heart muscle can also cause heart attack symptoms such as shortness of breath, chest pain, or other problems related to the heart’s electrical system. This condition can certainly cause an abnormal heart rate and can be life threatening.
Unexpected things that can increase the risk of a heart attack
You may have often heard of several things that can increase your risk of having a heart attack, such as a diet high in saturated fat, high cholesterol levels, a history of diabetes mellitus, or an inactive lifestyle. However, it seems that there are also various things or conditions that can increase the risk of an unexpected heart attack. Some of the risk factors for heart attack include:
1. Psoriasis
Psoriasis is an autoimmune disease that causes chronic skin inflammation in the form of red patches on dry skin accompanied by silvery scales. Even though it is classified as a skin disease, it turns out that psoriasis can increase the risk of heart attack.
A study shows the risk of people who have psoriasis can increase up to 2-3 times for heart disease. The reason is, inflammation due to psoriasis too can damage the heart arteries from the inside, ultimately leading to an increased risk of heart attack and stroke.
Meanwhile, people with psoriasis have a predisposition to high cholesterol, obesity, and diabetes, which also harm your heart health. Therefore, psoriasis can be one of the causes of unexpected heart attacks.
2. Sudden exercise that is too intense
Actually, doing intense exercise is not wrong. However, make sure that you are used to it. In order to get used to it, you need to start physical activity such as exercise from the lightest first. Only then can you increase the intensity according to your abilities over time.
According to the Cleveland Clinic, one of the causes of unexpected heart attacks is physical activity that starts immediately with high intensity. This means that you may not be accustomed to doing strenuous exercise, but are pushing yourself.
Not only sports, other strenuous physical activity can also harm your heart health if you are not used to it. Especially if you don’t like to exercise and have risk factors for heart disease that can increase your potential for having a heart attack.
3.Too often taking pain relievers (NSAIDs)
NSAIDs are pain relievers used to treat fever, inflammation, sprains, headaches, migraines, to dysmenorrhea (menstrual cramp pain). Examples of these drugs are aspirin and ibuprofen.
A study published in Journal of Infectious Diseases reports that people are using NSAID drugs to treat respiratory infections has an increased risk of heart attack by 3-4 times.
In fact, it’s not clear why NSAIDs can cause unexpected heart attacks. However, this drug can increase the risk of bleeding which can allow an increase in blood clots in the arteries.
For that, avoid taking NSAIDs, especially if you are over 50 years of age or have risk factors for hypertension, diabetes, high cholesterol, or an active smoker.
4. Traumatic incident
Not all strong people face heartbreak. Therefore, it is not an exaggeration if a broken heart is one of the traumatic events that can be experienced by a person. In addition, there are also various traumatic events that may be experienced, such as the loss of a loved one, and many more.
When experiencing traumatic events in their life, some people may tend to be more susceptible to this condition. In fact, this can cause the body to be prone to various health problems. The reason is, maybe people who experience this incident cannot respond to stress well.
At that time, inflammation and stress hormones in the body increase. Meanwhile, both of them make the body more susceptible to various heart diseases. Therefore, experiencing a traumatic event is one of the causes of an unexpected heart attack.