Myocardial infarction means necrosis of heart muscle cells caused by their lack of oxygen. Hypoxia of these cells, on the other hand, occurs as a result of the occlusion of the coronary artery, which supplies blood to the heart. Among Poles, a heart attack is a very common disease – about 100 suffer from it every year. people.
Risk factors for a heart attackMen are more likely to have a heart attack than women, and it usually occurs after the age of 45. The most characteristic symptom of a heart attack is severe, long-lasting pain in the chest – in addition, there is also shortness of breath, a feeling of strong anxiety, weakness of the body, abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting. Factors that increase the likelihood of a heart attack include:
- atherosclerotic plaques formed as a result of the deposition of lipid substances in the walls of the arteries – they protrude into the lumen of the vessel, reducing its diameter, too high blood level of compounds such as cholesterol, homocysteine, triglycerides,
- smoking – over 4 are present in cigarette smoke substances harmful to the circulatory system,
- excessive alcohol consumption,
- diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, obesity,
- sedentary lifestyle, lack of physical activity,
- excessive stress,
- genetic predisposition — a higher risk of heart attack is associated with a mutation in the LRP8 gene.
Actions to prevent a heart attackThe occurrence of a heart attack to the greatest extent associated with an unhealthy lifestyleTherefore, it is worth taking appropriate measures to minimize the risk of infection. Such actions include changing eating habits — limiting the consumption of fats of animal origin, and enriching the diet with vegetables and fruits. It is also important to introduce daily physical activity, reduce body weight (if overweight or obese), stop smoking, and properly treat diseases such as hypertension or diabetes. If you have already had a heart attack, you may need to take medicines to reduce the chance of having another heart attack, such as certain beta-blockers. It is also important to regularly perform preventive examinations that will allow you to check whether a person is at greater risk of having a heart attack.
Preventive examinationsAn important prophylactic examination that allows you to assess the risk of a heart attack is a laboratory test cholesterol test, triglycerides or homocysteine in the blood – too high levels of these substances indicate a higher risk of disease, all people over 40 should have such a test at least once a year. It is also necessary to check regularly blood pressure and blood glucose levels — thanks to this, it is possible to assess whether a given person does not have arterial hypertension and diabetes.
Another form of prevention is genetic test, allowing to check whether there are any abnormalities in our genetic material that increase the risk of various diseases – including a heart attack. Predisposition to myocardial infarction is associated with the presence of mutations in the LRP8 gene.
Mutations of this gene make the level of cholesterol in the blood higher, and the activity of platelets is higher – this is associated with a higher risk of clot formation and premature development of coronary artery disease and heart attack – says Magdalena Sikora, geneticist of the healthygeny.pl portal
Research (https://zdrowegeny.pl/badania-genetyczne/zawal-serca) shows that in the case of people with the LRP8 gene mutation, the probability of having a heart attack is almost 2 times higher than in the general population. Therefore, these people should necessarily eliminate harmful environmental factors and undergo regular examinations at an earlier age.