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Heart attack, also called myocardial infarction, is a very serious condition in which the heart is not receiving enough oxygen to function properly. Heart attack is a common cause of death. About one out of every six deaths in the U.S. is caused by heart attack.
The heart requires a steady supply of oxygen in order to pump blood effectively to all of the body. Oxygen is supplied to the heart in the blood that flows through the coronary arteries. If a coronary artery becomes blocked, the portion of the heart that gets its oxygen-rich blood from that specific artery becomes damaged. This injury can become permanent within minutes and result in the death of the affected heart tissue. Medically this is called myocardial necrosis or infarction.
Heart attacks often result from a build-up of plaque and inflammation in the arteries, called atherosclerosis. This process narrows the coronary arteries and lowers the amount of oxygen-rich blood that reaches the heart muscle. This is called angina. Arteries narrowed by atherosclerosis are more likely to develop a blood clot that completely blocks blood flow, resulting in a heart attack. Risk factors for atherosclerosis include having high cholesterol.
The extent of the damage done to the heart during a heart attack varies depending on such factors as the area or areas affected and how long the blockage lasts. Damaged heart tissue or muscle does not pump normally and can also trigger life-threatening cardiac arrhythmias. Cardiac arrhythmias are abnormal heart beats or heart rhythms that can make the heart completely ineffective in pumping blood and lead to cardiac arrest and death.
Other complications of heart attack include the development of embolism, stroke, and aneurysm of the heart. The classic symptom of heart attack is crushing chest pain, but not all people will experience chest pain. For more information on symptoms and complications, refer to symptoms of heart attack.
Risk factors for heart attack include a having hypertension, diabetes, high cholesterol, obesity, and a sedentary lifestyle. Other risk factors include being of African-American ancestry, male, drinking excessive amounts of alcohol, having a lot of long-term stress, smoking and having a family history of a heart attack at an early age.
Making a diagnosis of heart attack includes completing a complete medical evaluation and history and physical examination. This is often done in an emergency room. However, some heart attacks are "silent" and have minimal or no symptoms and may not be diagnosed until a person seeks medical care for another condition or for routine care.
Diagnostic testing includes an EKG, which takes a picture of the electrical activity of the heart and can reveal damage that is done to the heart due to a heart attack. This test, however, is not always conclusive. Blood cardiac enzyme tests and a troponin test are also performed to aid in diagnosis. Cardiac enzyme tests measures the amount of specific enzymes that are released into the blood from the heart as it is deprived of oxygen and being damaged. The troponin test measures the amounts of a certain proteins that are found in the blood as heart muscle is injured.
A chest X-ray is generally performed to see the size and shape of the heart and may reveal other conditions, such as congestive heart failure or pneumonia. Other tests may include an echocardiogram, which shows damage to the left side of the heart and a coronary angiogram, which reveals which coronary arteries are narrowed or blocked.
It is possible that a diagnosis of heart attack can be missed or delayed because sometimes the symptoms may be mild and attributed to other conditions. For more information on misdiagnosis, refer to misdiagnosis of heart attack.
If caught early, some heart attacks can be successfully treated before the development of permanent heart damage and complications. For more information on treatment, refer to treatment of heart attack....more »
A diagnosis of heart attack may be overlooked or delayed because sometimes there are no symptoms or because some symptoms are mild in some people. Additionally, every person with a heart attack can experience different types and severity of symptoms, and not all people will have the crushing chest pain often associated with a heart attack. Some symptoms are vague and not specific to ...more misdiagnosis »
The following medical conditions are some of the possible
causes of Heart attack.
There are likely to be other possible causes, so ask your doctor
about your symptoms.
See full list of 138 causes of Heart attack
» Review Causes of Heart attack: Causes | Symptom Checker »
Home medical tests possibly related to Heart attack:
Review the causes of these more specific types of Heart attack:
Review causes of more specific types of Heart attack:
See full list of 9 types for Heart attack
Listed below are some combinations of symptoms associated with Heart attack, as listed in our database. Visit the Symptom Checker, to add and remove symptoms and research your condition.
See full list of 501 Symptom Checkers for Heart attack
The most effective heart attack treatment plan uses a multifaceted approach. This includes preventive care aimed at minimizing the risk factors for having a heart attack. Preventive measures include regular medical care to monitor and address such risk factors as high cholesterol, obesity, smoking, diabetes, and excessive alcohol consumption.
Heart attacks are often diagnosed ...Heart attack Treatments
Some of the possible treatments listed in sources for treatment of Heart attack may include:
Review further information on Heart attack Treatments.
Alternative treatments or home remedies that have been listed as possibly helpful for Heart attack may include:
Real-life user stories relating to Heart attack:
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The following drugs, medications, substances or toxins are some of the possible
causes of Heart attack as a symptom.
Always advise your doctor of any medications or treatments you are using,
including prescription, over-the-counter, supplements, herbal or alternative treatments.
See full list of 225
medications causing Heart attack
When combined, certain drugs, medications, substances or toxins may react causing Heart attack as a symptom. Always advise your doctor of any medications or treatments you are using, including prescription, over-the-counter, supplements, herbal or alternative treatments.
See full list of 60 drug interactions causing Heart attack
Some of the comorbid or associated medical symptoms for Heart attack may include these symptoms:
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Research the causes of these more general types of symptom:
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Research the causes of these symptoms that are similar to, or related to, the symptom Heart attack:
Read more about causes and Heart attack deaths.
Heart attacks can be undiagnosed: Although the most severe symptoms of heart attack are hard to miss, there are varying degrees of severity. It is altogether too common for people to die from undiagnosed heart attack, or from delaying too long to call for...read more »
Heart attacks can be overdiagnosed: Although many people die from heart attacks, there are also many cases where people fear that they have a heart attack, but actually have something milder. Some of the conditions which may be causes of...read more »
Rare heart condition often undiagnosed: The rare heart condition called long QT syndrome can lead to episodes of palpitations and rapid heartbeat. In rare cases, this undiagnosed condition can be fatal. It should be considered for any unexplained...read more »
Heart attack can be over-diagnosed: Although heart attack is often undiagnosed, leading to fatality, it can also be over-diagnosed. People become concerned that a condition is a heart attack,...read more »
Alzheimer's disease over-diagnosed: The well-known disease of Alzheimer's disease is often over-diagnosed. Patients tend to assume that any memory loss or forgetulness symptom might be Alzheimer...read more »
Dementia may be a drug interaction: A common scenario in aged care is for a patient to show mental decline to dementia. Whereas this can, of course, occur due to various medical conditions, such as a stroke or ...read more »
Tremor need not be Parkinson's disease: There is the tendency to believe that any tremor symptom, or shakiness, means Parkinson's disease. The reality is that there...read more »
Blood pressure cuffs misdiagnose hypertension in children: One known misdiagnosis issue with hyperension, arises in relation to the simple equipment used to test blood pressure. The "cuff" around the...read more »
Rare diseases misdiagnosed as Parkinson's disease: A rare genetic disorder is often misdiagnosed as Parkinson's disease for men in their 50's. The disease Fragile X disorder can show only mild symptoms in...read more »
Hypertension misdiagnosis common in children: Hypertension is often misdiagnosed in adults (see misdiagnosis of hypertension), but its misdiagnosis is even more likely in children....read more »
Read more about Misdiagnosis and Heart attack
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Rare types of medical conditions and diseases in related medical categories:
Conditions that are commonly undiagnosed in related areas may include:
Other medical conditions listed in the Disease Database as possible
causes of Heart attack as a symptom include:
See full list of 138
causes of Heart attack
- (Source - Diseases Database)
Presence of a thrombus in a coronary artery, often causing a myocardial infarction.
- (Source - Diseases Database)
A sudden severe instance of abnormal heart function
- (Source - WordNet 2.1)
The list below shows some of the causes of Heart attack mentioned in various sources:
See full list of 138 causes of Heart attack
This information refers to the general prevalence and incidence of these diseases, not to how likely they are to be the actual cause of Heart attack. Of the 138 causes of Heart attack that we have listed, we have the following prevalence/incidence information:
See the analysis of the prevalence of 138 causes of Heart attack
The following list of conditions have 'Heart attack' or similar listed as a symptom in our database. This computer-generated list may be inaccurate or incomplete. Always seek prompt professional medical advice about the cause of any symptom.
Select from the following alphabetical view of conditions which include a symptom of Heart attack or choose View All.
The following list of medical conditions have Heart attack or similar listed as a medical complication in our database. The distinction between a symptom and complication is not always clear, and conditions mentioning this symptom as a complication may also be relevant. This computer-generated list may be inaccurate or incomplete. Always seek prompt professional medical advice about the cause of any symptom.
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This information shows analysis of the list of causes of Heart attack based
on whether certain risk factors apply to the patient:
MI, Myocardial infarct, Myocardial infarction, Coronary artery thrombosis
- (Source - Diseases Database)
Subtypes of Heart attack:
Sudden cardiac death (9 causes)
Medical Conditions associated with Heart attack:
Heart symptoms (2927 causes), Cardiovascular symptoms (3192 causes)
Symptoms related to Heart attack:
Chest pain (1053 causes), Chest tightness (166 causes), Angina (41 causes), Heart symptoms (2927 causes), Myocardial infarction (38 causes), MI, Myocardial ischemia (1 cause), Coronary artery disease (106 causes), Atherosclerosis (35 causes), Hypertension (398 causes)
Doctor-patient articles related to symptoms and diagnosis:
These general medical articles may be of interest:
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Our news pages contain the following medical news summaries about Heart attack and many other medical conditions:
Medical research papers related to Heart attack include:
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Copyright © 2011 Health Grades Inc. All rights reserved. Last Update: 7 May, 2013 (0:24)
