The term "ischemia of the heart" is translated from Latin as a lack of blood supply. This means that due to the disease, blood cannot pass through the coronary arteries in the required amount due to their severe narrowing or blockage. Because of this, the necessary amount of oxygen does not enter the heart muscle.
If timely treatment is not performed, then this organ will stop contracting, which can provoke an ischemic heart attack and even death of the patient.
What is myocardial infarction
This pathology is one of the many manifestations of coronary heart disease (CHD). That is why many call myocardial infarction ischemic. IHD belongs to the category of serious diseases and is characterized by the necrosis of some parts of the heart muscle. This happens due to circulatory disorders. Accordingly, the heart needs significantly more oxygen than it can receive during ischemia.
In 98% of cases, myocardial infarction is caused by atherosclerosis of the coronary arteries that feed the heart. As a result, the formation of blood clots and plaques occurs, which block the access of necessary substances. Soover time, they increase in size, and the lumen of the artery decreases significantly. If a thrombus breaks off, then this can provoke a complete closure of the lumen. Thus, coronary heart disease and myocardial infarction are inextricably linked.
It is also worth considering that plaques can form throughout the coronary vessels. In especially severe situations, several arteries are affected at once. Violation of the coronary circulation and the occurrence of ischemic infarction can be triggered by a sharp vasospasm.
There are situations in which a heart attack occurred without the development of atherosclerosis, but they are much less common. It should be noted that over the past decade, a young population has been suffering from myocardial infarction. A heart attack is one of the causes of disability in cardiovascular diseases.
Causes of ischemic heart attack of the heart and brain
First of all, it is worth noting that more women than men are affected by this problem. As a rule, the fair sex is faced with coronary heart disease after 50 years. Therefore, it is very important during this period of life to carefully monitor your he alth and pay attention to any unpleasant symptoms.
If we talk about the causes of coronary disease and myocardial infarction, then they should include:
- Constant stress. If a person is in nervous tension, then this can provoke a huge number of a wide variety of diseases, the samealso applies to IBS. This is due to the fact that during excitement, the heart muscle begins to contract intensely. This leads to wear and tear. If a person experiences stress constantly, then over time the heart simply cannot withstand such a load.
- Overweight. As a rule, people who are overweight are more susceptible to a heart attack. This is due to the fact that due to the fatty tissues located in the human body, the muscles, including the heart, experience increased stress. In this case, the vital organ has to work with a vengeance. Therefore, you need to control your weight.
- Diabetes. In a patient with this diagnosis, the blood thickens and moves much worse through the vessels. In this case, the heart is simply not able to receive it in the required volume, which can provoke an ischemic heart attack.
- Wrong diet. Many do not pay attention to this cause of coronary artery disease, but most often it becomes the main factor that causes seizures. The fact is that due to malnutrition in the human body, cholesterol levels increase. This leads to the formation of plaques, which quickly clog the vessels and block the blood supply.
- Sedentary lifestyle. If a person spends most of his time at the computer or lies on the couch, then in this case his body cannot function normally. It is important to keep all muscles in good shape, including the heart. Therefore, we must not forget about the necessary physical activity.
- Smoking. Due to this bad habit, the necessary oxygen saturation does not occur.blood. Over time, the heart muscle becomes thinner and stops working. This can provoke an ischemic cerebral infarction.
Other reasons
There are a number of factors in the development of pathology that are almost impossible to avoid, even if a person adheres to all preventive recommendations:
- Heredity. It is necessary to study the medical history of your family. If a large number of relatives had ischemic heart attacks that occurred after the age of 50, then in this case there is a high probability that this disease will affect younger members of the family in the future. This means that a person needs to monitor their he alth much more closely and contact specialists in a timely manner.
- Menopause. All women over the age of 50 face this problem. In the body of the representative of the beautiful half of humanity, the hormones that are necessary for a woman to have a baby cease to be produced. This leads to increased stress on the heart and can provoke the appearance of the first symptoms of ischemic heart attack. In addition, during this period there is a complete restructuring of the body. He is forced to adapt to new conditions.
Disease forms
There are several stages in the development of coronary heart disease:
- Asthmatic. This type of disease is diagnosed in 8% of cases. It manifests itself in the form of a lack of air during inhalation. Patients havesevere dyspnea and cough like asthma. If fluid accumulates in the alveoli, this leads to gurgling in the chest. In the most severe cases, swelling of the lungs is observed. Immediate intubation required as a matter of urgency.
- Gastralgic. In this case, patients experience symptoms that strongly resemble food poisoning. In this case, signs of acute appendicitis or stomach ulcers may appear. In such a situation, it is much more difficult to determine in a timely manner that necrosis occurs in the tissues of the heart. That is why these symptoms are called false. They lead to misdiagnosis of the primary disease.
- Cerebrovascular. In this case, failures in the work of the nervous system occur. If a person has primary signs of a heart attack, then they may be temporary. Other symptoms include dizziness, general weakness, frequent headaches (some experience temporary loss of consciousness), and paralysis.
- Arrhythmic. In this case, there are serious changes in the rhythm of the heartbeat, which allows timely diagnosis of malaise. The most dangerous manifestation is atrioventricular blockade. This leads to chaotic uncontrolled contraction of the myocardium, low heart rate and ventricular fibrillation.
- Painless. This form of the disease is considered the most dangerous, since it does not manifest itself in any way. It is impossible to predict an attack of ischemic infarction in this case. Due to the absence of symptoms, it becomes impossible to diagnose the pathology. HowAs a rule, in this case, IHD manifests itself already at the last stage. A similar form of heart attack is most often observed in people suffering from diabetes or impaired nerve endings.
Symptoms of myocardial infarction and coronary heart disease in women
First of all, it is very important to pay attention to the increase or decrease in pressure. In 87% of cases, seizures are observed in people suffering from heart palpitations (regardless of their gender).
If we talk about the symptoms of myocardial infarction and coronary heart disease in the fair sex, then in this case the pathology is not very clear and often resembles the flu, colds, nervous exhaustion or overwork.
Among the main symptoms it is worth highlighting:
- The appearance of discomfort and pain in the chest. It should be noted that in this case, the symptoms in women are not as obvious as in men. Sometimes the pain spreads throughout the chest, and is not concentrated in the region of the heart. In this case, ladies often complain of a feeling of squeezing, or, conversely, a bursting of the chest.
- Pain in arms, jaw, neck and back. This symptomatology is also more common in the fair sex than in men. Many people believe that a heart attack only manifests itself in the form of pain in the chest. However, pain in the arms and jaw can also be a clear signal that it's time to seek help, especially if the pain is acute at night.
- Stomach pain. If inIf there is severe discomfort in the stomach, this can also be a symptom of a heart attack and coronary disease. Women are more likely to suffer from these symptoms. Some women decide that they have simple heartburn, the flu, or the first signs of a peptic ulcer.
- Frequent dizziness and nausea. If such symptoms appear for no apparent reason, then this may be a clear sign of pathology.
- Excessive sweating. In this case, women very often experience a phenomenon called cold sweat. This syndrome is caused by too much stress hormones released by the adrenal glands.
Based on the “vague” symptoms of coronary heart disease and heart attack described above, it becomes obvious that it is really much more difficult for women to identify this pathology, so the fair sex needs to be much more attentive to their he alth.
Acute attack
If we talk about primary symptoms, then first of all you should pay attention to pain in the chest on the left side. At the same time, discomfort can be given to the arm, neck, shoulder blade, neck and other parts of the body. The pains are paroxysmal in nature and recur after a few hours.
The second clear sign of cerebral infarction and coronary disease is increased shortness of breath. If it occurs even with the slightest exertion, then this is a serious reason to seek medical help.
It is also worth noting other symptoms of acuteattack. It is worth asking for help when:
- low blood pressure;
- cold sweat and a sharp drop in body temperature;
- numbness of upper limbs;
- severe dizziness and sudden bouts of nausea;
- impaired coordination of movements and speech;
- manifestations of panic fear.
Treatment
It is worth noting that coronary artery disease develops gradually, so it is necessary to diagnose it as soon as possible, then the therapy will give visible results. As a rule, specialists prescribe several categories of drugs to patients.
First of all, funds are needed to help expand blood vessels. These include "Nitroglycerin". It is also necessary to take measures to prevent the formation of blood clots. In this case, it is best to start taking Aspirin. We need drugs that will help fight the formation of cholesterol. However, you need to understand that all these medications are not able to save a person from such an ailment, they are able to temporarily relieve unpleasant symptoms. Surgery will be required to restore heart function.
Coronary bypass surgery
If a person has had a myocardial infarction and ischemic disease, then surgery may be the only solution to the problem. In this case, a new vessel is implanted. It is a shunt that will supply blood with the necessary amount of oxygen.
Most often used to place itsaphenous vein of the lower limb, however, if the patient suffers from varicose veins, then this operation is not possible. As a rule, after such procedures, patients note the disappearance of angina attacks. As a result, they can stop most of the medication they have been taking.
Angioplasty
In this case, a section of an artery that is too narrow is surgically expanded. This restores blood flow. As a rule, this procedure uses the patient's femoral artery, into which a special balloon catheter is inserted, in the form of a flexible tube, which is passed into the coronary arteries. As soon as the tube reaches the area where vasoconstriction is observed, the balloon put on the catheter begins to inflate and expand the required area.
This surgery is much easier on patients, but the operation is not suitable for people with diabetes.
Complications
With improper or untimely treatment, a person may suffer from post-infarction cardiosclerosis. This pathology is also considered one of the varieties of coronary heart disease.
With repeated attacks, chronic heart failure can develop. In this case, it will be more difficult for a person to perform physical activity, shortness of breath will appear. Some develop acute heart failure. A similar complication can occur even with minor stages of coronary heart disease.
Some patients suffer from cardiogenic shock,characterized by a sharp decrease in myocardial contractions.
Preventive measures
To get rid of coronary artery disease, it is very important to lead a he althy lifestyle, so it is imperative to stop smoking and drinking alcohol. You will have to follow a diet that includes lean foods, fruits, vegetables and other he althy foods.
Those who have suffered a myocardial infarction need to engage in physiotherapy exercises, in case of excess weight, take measures to reduce it. It is important to maintain normal blood pressure and avoid stress.
