subject: What is a Heart Attack? [print this page] What is a Heart Attack? What is a Heart Attack?
Symptoms of a heart attack
If you have a heart attack, you will most likely feel severe pain in the centre of your chest. This central chest pain is often described as heaviness, squeezing or crushing, and may come on suddenly causing you to collapse. The pain sometimes feels like severe indigestion. Other symptoms include:
pain spreading to the arms, neck, jaw, back or stomach
feeling sweaty and breathless
feeling sick or vomiting
The symptoms of a heart attack can come on suddenly, but sometimes the pain develops more slowly. If you already have angina (narrowing of your coronary arteries without complete blockage), you will find that the pain of a heart attack won't completely respond to your usual medicine (eg glyceryl trinitrate, or GTN). Heart-attack pain continues for longer than angina and can last for hours.
Sometimes you may not have any symptoms at all, especially if you're elderly or have diabetes.
During a heart attack, life-threatening heart rhythms may develop, which is why a heart attack is a medical emergency.
If you suspect you're having a heart attack, call for emergency help immediately.
Prevention of heart attack
To keep your heart healthy and reduce the risk of heart problems, you should:
stop smoking
lose excess weight
take regular exercise
eat a healthy balanced diet, low in fat and high in fibre
Even if you have previously had a heart attack, these measures can still reduce your chances of having another one.
After treatment of a heart attack
For the best possible recovery after a heart attack, you should start a cardiac rehabilitation programme. These programmes can vary but usually include an exercise regime devised by a physiotherapist, along with advice on relaxation, lifestyle modification and treatment choices. They may also give you a chance to meet others who are also recovering from heart attacks. A cardiac rehabilitation programme should ideally begin when you're admitted to hospital and continue after you leave. In many hospitals a member of the cardiac rehabilitation team will visit you to discuss your condition. He/she can also provide you with recovery advice for getting back to your usual activities.
After a heart attack, you may need to take medicines regularly for a long time. Your doctor may prescribe a low daily dose of aspirin (around 75mg). Other medicines you may be prescribed include statins (eg simvastatin), ACE inhibitors (eg ramipril), beta-blockers (eg bisoprolol) and thienopyridines (eg clopidogrel). Your risk of further heart attacks can be reduced by using these medicines.
Always ask your doctor for advice and read the patient information leaflet that comes with your medicine.
