• chest pressure
• pain radiating to the arms, jaw, neck, back, or abdomen
• dizziness
• sweating
• shortness of breath
• nausea or vomiting.
Some individuals may also feel overwhelming anxiety, along with coughing or wheezing. Read more about foods that can help you prevent heart attacks.
What Is the Cause?
Coronary artery disease is the primary cause of most heart attacks, resulting from the blockage of one or more coronary arteries due to cholesterol-laden deposits known as plaques. These plaques can narrow the arteries, leading to reduced blood flow to the heart. If a plaque ruptures, it can trigger the formation of a blood clot in the heart.
heart attack
Blausen Medical Communications, Inc., CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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Heart attacks can be categorized based on whether an electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG) reveals specific changes (ST elevation) necessitating urgent invasive treatment.
• An acute complete blockage of a medium or large coronary artery is typically diagnosed as an ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI).
• A partial blockage often corresponds to a non-ST elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI), although some individuals with NSTEMI may have a total blockage.
J. Heuser JHeuser, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
It’s important to note that not all heart attacks are caused by blocked arteries. Other factors include:
• Coronary artery spasm, a severe constriction of a non-blocked blood vessel, which can occur in arteries with cholesterol plaques or early vessel hardening due to smoking or other risk factors. This condition may also be referred to as Prinzmetal’s angina, vasospastic angina, or variant angina.
• Certain infections, such as COVID-19 and other viral infections, may lead to heart muscle damage.
• Spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD), a life-threatening condition resulting from a tear within a coronary artery.
