Risk of heart attack

Like every other muscle in the body, the cardiac muscle (myocardium) needs oxygen. This is transported through the coronary vessels, which are provided with oxygen-rich blood by the arteries. If one of these vessels is blocked due to a clot or another disease, this area of the cardiac muscle is no longer provided with enough oxygen. This can result in the failure or mortification of cardiac muscle tissue.

A heart attack, also known as a myocardial infarction, is therefore an acute circulatory disorder of the cardiac muscle.

Causes and effects

The greatest risk factor for a heart attack is coronary heart disease. This involves the hardening of the coronary vessels. Arteriosclerosis is the hardening of the blood vessels, which further increases the likelihood of a heart attack. Sufferers of both diseases can make positive improvements themselves, because lifestyle is the greatest deciding factor in provoking a heart attack: smoking, excess weight, an unhealthy diet, lack of exercise, high cholesterol levels, stress, and alcohol seriously increase the risk of a heart attack.

Lifestyle-related conditions such as high blood pressure (hypertension), and diabetes mellitus also increase the risk of a heart attack.

Age and genetic factors are also closely related to myocardial infarction, but these cannot be influenced. How do I know whether I have had a heart attack?
The signs of a heart attack include symptoms such as feeling unwell, shortness of breath and discomfort, especially in the area around the breastbone, but also other chest and stomach pains, back pain or arm pain. The patient often feels pressure and tightness in the throat area. These symptoms do not necessarily lead immediately to an acute heart attack. They may very well occur several days before an acute heart attack.

Acute heart attack

An acute heart attack can make patients fear that they may die. A heart attack triggers a huge feeling of pressure and tightness in the chest, accompanied by shortness of breath, cold sweat and a blue tinge, especially on the lips, fingernails and mucous membranes (cyanosis). In the most serious case, cardiogenic shock may occur, during which the heart functions less effectively. This can be life-threatening if the heart is not able to supply the other organs with enough oxygen.

Silent heart attack

If a heart attack occurs without any pain and therefore goes mostly unnoticed, it is called a 'silent heart attack'. This often happens to diabetics in particular.