A lot of factors can lead to heart attacks, but it usually happens when blood clotting impedes blood flow heading to your coronary artery. The artery is a blood vessel that provides blood to the muscles of your heart, and this can cause serious muscle damage. Heart attacks can be fatal, so it is essential you learn the symptoms and what treatments are available.

 

What Causes Heart Attacks?

Some people are genetically predisposed to a heart attack, but that doesn’t mean you will suffer from it, as it just means you need to be more careful. Even people who aren’t predisposed to heart disease can become a victim if they live an unhealthy lifestyle –eating fatty foods, not consuming enough nutrients, not exercising, overweight, stressed out- all of these are factors that can cause heart attacks. By living a healthy lifestyle you will reduce your chances of developing this condition.

Symptoms

Another reason why heart diseases are so deadly is many people do not recognize the symptoms and often mistake the signs for minor illnesses. What you probably think as nothing more than indigestion is probably a sign of heart disease, and by delaying treatment the chances of recovery become more difficult. Once you recognize the symptoms you should call emergency and get medical help. The most common sign of a heart attack is pressure in the middle of your chest, or a kind of squeezing sensation that can last for a few seconds or several minutes.

From your chest, the pain will extend to your (usually) left arm and shoulder and even reach your back and jaw. In some cases the sensation is an indication you are having a heart attack already, but in other people it is sign that you are vulnerable to heart disease. In either case you should see a doctor. Other symptoms of a heart attack are frequent pain in the upper stomach area, fainting, vomiting and sweating. While these could be indicative of other medical conditions you ought to see a doctor just to be sure.

Treatment

Heart attacks have to be treated as soon as possible so heart damage is lessened and blood flow can be restored quickly. There are several kinds of medication that may be prescribed depending on your condition, and one of those is Brilinta, a drug specifically developed to prevent you from having another stroke or heart attack. Brilinta is a prescription drug, and is meant for people who have recently suffered a stroke or heart attack, or unstable angina (severe chest pain).

As noted earlier, the majority of heart attacks are caused by artery blocking, preventing oxygen from getting to the heart muscles. Brilinta keeps platelets from joining together, which would result in blood clotting. It should be noted though that this drug is used with aspirin, and together will reduce the odds of your suffering another heart attack or blood clots. The drug can have side effects too, like making you susceptible to bleeding, nosebleeds and bruising as well. If bleeding occurs, consult your doctor immediately.