Effects of Heart Attack on Your Body

Effects of heart attack on your body are really horrible, there's no doubt in saying that. But before that what causes heart attack? A heart attack occurs because of a blockage in the heart itself or in the arteries around the heart, which in turn results in the restricted blood flow to a particular section of the heart muscle. And the most important thing to remember, when it occurs, the flow of blood must be restored as soon as possible in order to avoid the death of tissues around the heart. For tissues to remain alive, the heart muscle requires a constant supply of oxygen to remain alive and to function optimally.

What causes a heart attack
The most common reason of heart attacks found till date is the slow buildup of plaque in the coronary arteries that supply blood and oxygen to the heart. Plaque is actually a fatty substance that is found in people with high cholesterol. And the condition of excessive plaque buildup in the arteries is called atherosclerosis.

Further if the size of plaque becomes severe enough, then it can rupture and cause a blood clot to form around the arteries. This blood clot can become so large that it blocks the flow of blood towards the heart, causing the attack.

What conditions increase the chances of heart attack

• Excessive alcohol consumption
• Abuse of certain drugs
• Excessive smoking
• Because of a previous heart attack or stroke
• Previous episodes of abnormal heart rhythms, or arrhythmia
• A history of vascular disease, like atherosclerotic coronary heart disease
• High level of low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol
• Diabetes
• High blood pressure
• Obesity
• Chronic high stress levels
• High triglyceride levels

Effects of heart attack on the body

• Problems with heart valves: valves control the direction of the flow of blood, and leakages are a very serious threat to good health.
  
  
• If the person has undergone a serious attack and if he/she does not get treated within the first hour or so, then some or all of the tissue in the area around the heart can die due to a lack of oxygen. This condition is called necrosis. And the consequence of this is, the heart muscles that suffer from necrosis are no longer able to function the way they could before. The result is that the heart cannot pump blood as efficiently. Afterwards, the patients need to be more careful in terms of how they choose to live their daily life.
  
  
• Congestive heart failure is another reason, in which the damaged heart can no longer pump sufficient amounts of blood to the other organs of the body. This can result in chronic fatigue and an increase in body weight due to the accumulation of fluids in various parts.