IDENTIFY THE CHARACTERISTICS OF HEART ILLNESS THAT MUST BE KNOWLEDGE

IDENTIFY THE CHARACTERISTICS OF HEART ILLNESS THAT MUST BE KNOWLEDGE

One of the legendary band members in Indonesia, Kahitna, suddenly lost one of his best vocalists. According to news circulating, Carlo Saba died of a heart attack. Increasingly, it is being broadcast on social media or electronic media that young artists die of heart attacks. Actually, it's not only artists, in people's lives, there are lots of people who die suddenly from heart attacks.

Definition of Heart Attack

A heart attack, also known as a myocardial infarction, is a condition that occurs when blood flow to the heart is severely reduced or blocked. Blockage of blood flow to the heart can occur due to a buildup of fat, cholesterol, and other substances in the heart (coronary) arteries.

Causes of Heart Attacks

In most cases, a heart attack occurs due to a blockage in one of the blood vessels that supply the heart. This is often due to plaque, a sticky substance that can build up on the inside of the arteries. Meanwhile, plaque buildup is called atherosclerosis.

Sometimes, plaque deposits inside a coronary (heart) artery can rupture, allowing a blood clot to become stuck where the rupture occurred. If a blood clot blocks an artery, the heart muscle is deprived of blood, causing a heart attack.

Heart Attack Risk Factors

Meanwhile, several risk factors can trigger a heart attack. Among them:

• Age. Men aged 45 years and over and women aged over 55 years are more likely to have a heart attack, than men and women who are younger.

• Smoking. Smoking lifestyle and frequent exposure to cigarette smoke in the long run can trigger a heart attack.

• Hypertension. Over time, high blood pressure or hypertension can damage the arteries leading to the heart. High blood pressure caused by other conditions, such as obesity, high cholesterol, or diabetes, increases the risk of heart attack even higher.

• High cholesterol or triglycerides. The condition of the body with high low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol (bad cholesterol) will most likely narrow the arteries. In addition, high blood fats (triglycerides) can also increase the risk of heart attack.

• Obesity. Overweight or obesity is associated with high blood pressure, diabetes, high levels of triglycerides and LDL cholesterol. All of these factors can increase the risk of heart attack.

• Metabolic syndrome. This condition occurs due to a combination of central obesity, high blood pressure, and low HDL “good” cholesterol, high triglycerides, and high blood sugar. People who have metabolic syndrome are 2 times more likely to develop heart disease than healthy people.

• Family history. If you have a sibling, parent, or grandparent who has had a heart attack, you may be at increased risk too.

• Lack of exercise. Infrequent physical activity is also associated with a high risk of heart attack. In fact, regular exercise can improve heart health.

• Unhealthy eating patterns. Eating foods that contain lots of sugar, animal fat, trans fat, and salt can increase the risk of heart attack.

Sudden heart attack mostly caused by coronary heart disease, coronary heart disease is generally characterized by discomfort, pain, or a feeling of pressure in the chest. In addition, coronary heart disease can also cause several other heart disease characteristics, such as:

• Weakness and dizziness

• A cold sweat

• Nauseous

• Hard to breathe

To prevent heart disease, it is recommended to adopt a healthy lifestyle by consuming nutritious foods, limiting fat and salt intake, quitting smoking, exercising regularly, and managing stress well.

If you have risk factors for heart disease or feel the characteristics of heart disease, consult a doctor to undergo an examination and get the right treatment.