Causes
Most heart attacks are caused by a blood clot that blocks one of the coronary arteries. The coronary arteries bring blood and oxygen to the heart. If the blood flow is blocked, the heart starves for oxygen and heart cells die.
A clot most often forms in a coronary artery that has become narrow because of the build-up of a substance called plaque along the artery walls. (See: atherosclerosis) Sometimes, the plaque cracks and triggers a blood clot to form.
Occasionally, sudden overwhelming stress can trigger a heart attack.
Risk factors for heart attack and coronary artery disease include:
Being a middle-aged male
Diabetes
Family history of coronary artery disease (genetic or hereditary factors)
High blood pressure
Increasing age (over age 65)
Smoking
Too much fat in your diet
Unhealthy cholesterol levels, especially high LDL ("bad") cholesterol and low HDL ("good") cholesterol
Back to TopSymptoms »
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 nitroglycerin do not completely relieve the pain of a heart attack.
Other symptoms of a heart attack include:
Anxiety
Cough
Fainting
Light-headedness, dizziness
Nausea or vomiting
Palpitations (feeling like your heart is beating too fast)
Shortness of breath
Sweating, which may be extreme
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). A "silent heart attack" is a heart attack with no symptoms.In-Depth Symptoms »
Back to TopExams and Tests »
A heart attack is a medical emergency. If you have symptoms of a heart attack, seek immediate medical help. Call 911 or your local emergency number immediately. DO NOT try to drive yourself to the hospital.
The health care provider will perform a physical exam and listen to your chest using a stethoscope. The doctor may hear abnormal sounds in your lungs (called crackles), a heart murmur, or other abnormal sounds.
You may have a rapid pulse. Your blood pressure may be normal, high, or low.
Tests to look at your heart include:
Coronary angiography
CT scan
Echocardiography
Electrocardiogram (ECG) -- once or repeated over several hours
MRI
Nuclear ventriculography
Blood tests can help show if you have substances produced by heart tissue damage or a high risk for heart attack. These tests include:
Troponin I and troponin T
CPK and CPK-MB
Serum myoglobin
