• Question: why do people have heart attacks?

    Asked by to Del, Catherine, John, Krishna, Mo Rassul on 14 Mar 2014. This question was also asked by .
    • Photo: Catherine Mansfield

      Catherine Mansfield answered on 14 Mar 2014:

      People have heart attacks for many different reasons.
      There are 2 main types of heart attack. If the heart completely stops beating this is called a ‘cardiac arrest’ and is a problem with controlling the hearts rhythm. The other type of heart attack is called a ‘myocardial infarction’ where the blood supply to the heart is not working properly and so the heart does not get the oxygen and nutrients that it needs to function. This causes the heart cells to die and so the heart can not function properly.
      The best way to reduce the risk of heart attack is to have a healthy lifestyle, such as lots of exercise, eating healthily and not smoking.

    • Photo: Krishna Mohan Surapaneni

      Krishna Mohan Surapaneni answered on 18 Mar 2014:

      The most common cause for heart attack is: CORONARY ARTERY DISEASE (CHD).

      CHD is a condition in which the coronary arteries (the major blood vessels that supply the heart with blood) get clogged up with deposits of cholesterol. These deposits are called plaques.

      The risk factors are:

      1. SMOKING

      2. DIABETES

      3. HIGH FAT DIET

      4. HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE

      5. ALCOHOL

      6. OBESITY etc

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