There has been wide misconception about cardiac arrest and heart attack with people often times thinking both terms and conditions are the same.
The heart pumps blood via a circulatory system through your body. The heart is a muscle and like all muscles, requires oxygen rich blood supply to function.
The heart pumps blood when the right side of the heart receives de-oxygenated blood from the body and then pumps this through your lungs where it receives oxygen. The blood then returns to the left side of the heart where it is ready to be pumped to your body.
A heart attack referred to medically as myocardial infarction (MI) occurs when there is a blockage or damage to the heart muscle usually caused by a clot to the heart arteries or coronary arteries. There is a disruption to blood supply but the heart continues to beat. The symptoms may be immediate or build up slowly before a heart attack.
Symptoms of heart attack
- Chest pain or tightness in chest radiating to arms, jaw, neck, back and abdomen
- Shortness of breath
- Cough
- Wheezing
- The heart does not stop beating
The major cause of heart attack is Coronary Heart disease (CHD), a condition caused by deposits of cholesterol-plaques in the coronary arteries that provide oxygenated blood to the heart.
Risk factors of heart attack include: smoking, obesity, family history of heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels, and diabetes.
A cardiac arrest on the other hand is sudden. It is an electrical malfunction of the heart system or a problem with the rhythm of the heart; causing rapid beats or stoppage of heart beat. This often causes stoppage of blood circulating to the brains, lungs and the victim stops breathing or gasping and becomes unresponsive. If not treated immediately can cause death.
Symptoms of cardiac arrest
- No breathing
- No pulse
- Sudden loss of consciousness
Causes of cardiac arrest
- Coronary artery disease caused by clogging of the arteries by cholesterol
- Heart attack, leaving scar tissue in the heart thereby causing abnormal heart rhythm.
- Enlarged heart
- Congenital heart disease
- Electrical malfunction in the heart
Risk factors of cardiac arrest are similar to those of heart attack. Other factors include previous heart attack, age, family history of other heart diseases, heart failure, gender (common in males), sleep apnea, chronic kidney disease.
Healthy Tips
- Regular Health checks to screen for heart disease is recommended.
- Healthy eating including fruits and vegetables as part of your diet.
- Manage and reduce body weight. Check your body mass index (BMI) at your local pharmacy.
- Physical activity such as brisk walking daily.
- Quit smoking.
- Drink alcohol minimally.
References
- https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/sudden-cardiac-arrest
- https://www.bhf.org.uk/informationsupport/heart-matters-magazine/medical/heart-attack-and-cardiac-arrest
- https://www.bhf.org.uk/informationsupport/how-a-healthy-heart-works
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