Having a heart attack is not just a male problem

In over half of all diagnoses of heart disease, the first symptom is a heart attack. The problem is that it happens so fast that even hours before there would be no sign of the narrowing of the arteries to the heart on an angiogram. A heart attack isn’t a narrowing that occurs over time but rather of a sudden response tear of the lining of the artery a blood clot forms and closes it off. The heart attack seemingly comes out of nowhere.

The rest get a diagnosis from other symptoms such as chest pain, irregular heartbeat, feeling light-headed, etc and many find out they have heart disease by another testing.

A heart attack occurs when the flow of blood to the heart is severely reduced or blocked. The blockage is usually due to a buildup of fat, cholesterol, and other substances (plaques) causing atherosclerosis in the heart (coronary) arteries. Sometimes, a plaque can rupture and form a clot that blocks blood flow. A lack of blood flow can permanently damage or destroy part of the heart muscle.

Silent or unrecognised Ischemia (reduced blood flow) is often mistaken for flu or indigestion. Up to 45% of all heart attacks may be silent or unrecognised and may cause damage to the heart.

Tests are the only way to confirm a mild heart attack and to assess whether any damage has been done to the heart. Medication may be prescribed to manage and prevent future attacks.

Everyone is at risk of developing CVD. Hereditary high cholesterol levels are serious and we often need more than lifestyle changes to bring them down. Eating processed foods/oils high in fats will elevate blood cholesterol levels and make the condition progress far more quickly and seriously.?

The typical warning signs are heavy chest pain, and pressure of tightness on walking. However, people can also feel nauseated, short of breath, sweaty, feeling impending doom, heart racing palpitations, and fatigue. Women in particular may experience sharp chest pain, anxiety, weakness, and fatigue, and are at risk due to not taking the symptoms seriously or recognising these as signs of CVD.?

Stress is also a risk factor for precipitating acute coronary events. High stress can bring on a heart attack by increasing adrenaline levels, and constricting the arteries. So finding ways to manage and reduce stress levels will be another important strategy for preventing CVD.

If you've had any of these symptoms and they appear unusual and are not dissipating, it's important to seek help urgently.

Making lifestyle changes significantly reduces the risks of having a heart attack, such as adopting a plant-based diet, stopping smoking, reducing alcohol, losing weight, lowering blood pressure, getting active, lowering cholesterol, and managing insomnia and psychological illnesses such as stress, depression, and trauma.

Karen is a?cardiovascular?health coach and passionate about supporting people to implement evidence-based strategies to manage risk factors for?cardiovascular?disease such as smoking, alcohol, overweight/obesity, poor diet, hypertension, physical inactivity, cholesterol, insomnia, psychological illness including stress, depression, and trauma, and pre/diabetes.

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