Heart Attack: Heart attack is when the blood vessels become blocked and fails to supply oxygen to heart. It’s also called as Myocardial Infarction.

Causes:

Most heart attacks are caused by a blockage of coronary arteries. Blood may form clot in arteries. The coronary arteries supply blood and oxygen to the heart. If the blood flow is blocked, the heart starves for oxygen and heart cells die.

In atherosclerosis, plaque builds up in the walls of your coronary arteries. This plaque is made up of cholesterol and other cells. A heart attack can occur as a result of the following:

· The slow build up of plaque may almost block one of your coronary arteries. A heart attack may occur if not enough oxygen-containing blood can flow through this blockage. This is more likely to happen when you are exercising.

· The plaque itself develops cracks (fissures) or tears. Blood platelets stick to these tears and form a blood clot (thrombus). A heart attack can occur if this blood clot completely blocks the passage of oxygen-rich blood to the heart. This is the most common cause.

Symptoms:

Chest pain is a major symptom of heart attack. You may feel the pain in only one part of your body, or it may move from your chest to your arms, shoulder, neck, teeth, jaw, belly area, or back.

The pain can be severe or mild. It can feel like:

· A tight band around the chest

· Bad indigestion

· Something heavy sitting on your chest

· Squeezing or heavy pressure

The pain usually lasts longer than 20 minutes. Rest and a medicine called nitro-glycerine may not completely relieve the pain of a heart attack. Symptoms may also go away and come back.

Other symptoms of a heart attack include Anxiety, Cough, Fainting, Light-headedness, Dizziness, Shortness of breath, Sweating

Some people (the elderly, people with diabetes, and women) may have little or no chest pain. Or, they may experience unusual symptoms (shortness of breath, fatigue, weakness). It’s called "silent heart attack".