Heart attacks occur when heart muscles do not receive enough oxygen rich blood and therefore start to die. This can happen for a variety of reasons, but usually occurs when a blood clot forms in one of the blood vessels leading to the heart. If this clot gets large enough it can block the blood supply to the organ.

When an individual suffers a heart attack, the symptoms can include a plethora of conditions. These include coughing, chest pain ranging from a mild discomfort to a crushing pain, dizziness, shortness of breath, ashen colored face (a gray appearance), nausea, vomiting and clammy and sweaty. Pain is usually felt in the chest initially, but can then spread to the arms, wrist, neck, jaw and ears. Less common is pain in the shoulder blades, the abdomen and the back.

Some of the main causes of heart attacks include age (this is thought to be the largest contributing factor, and men over 45 and women over 55 years of age see their risk rise dramatically); angina; high cholesterol levels; diabetes; diet; genetic makeup (hereditary); blood pressure; heart surgery; obesity; physical inactivity; and smoking.

Heart Attack

The quicker a heart attack victim is treated, the more successful their treatment tends to be. Some treatments that can be administered during a heart attack are CPR, manual chest compression, use of a defibrillator, a 300mg dose of aspirin, and sometimes, morphine.