How does a Heart Attack Affect the Body

Each and every part of our body requires proper and adequate supply of oxygen and nutrients to stay alive. This task of circulation is carried out by the heart. On the other hand, the heart gets its required supplies from the coronary arteries. Due to any reason, if any one of them is blocked, a portion of the heart would die because of the insufficiency of oxygen. This causes chest pain, dizziness and breathing trouble. Such a condition is termed as heart attack. To understand, how does a heart attack affect the body, we need to know the causes of heart attack first.

Causes of Heart Attack

The main cause of heart attack is the deposition of thick layers of plaque on the inner linings of the arteries. The main constituents of plaque are cholesterol, fatty substances and calcium. The process of building up of plaque on the inside walls of large arteries usually starts in our childhood days, but it takes thirty years or more to get raised to an alarming level, when it can be a threat to the life of a person. The formation of plaque is often referred to as atherosclerosis that gets accelerated due to certain conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure, cholesterol and also smoking.

With the increase in the levels of plaque, the blood flow to the heart becomes restricted. As a result of the decrease in blood into the heart, there is a substantial decrease in the amount of oxygen that reaches it. The myocardium or the middle layer of the heart wall that controls the flow of blood in and out of the heart, is most badly affected by this condition. A complete blockage in any of the arteries, then leads to heart attack. Another possible cause of heart attack is spasm of the coronary artery. This happens mainly because of smoking, stress or side effects of narcotic drugs.

Effects of Heart Attack on the Body

If one gets medical help within the the first two hours of an heart attack, the possibility of irreversible damage can be lessened. However, in case of a massive heart attack, permanent damage to the myocardium or death is not ruled out. The damage caused to the heart muscle disables the heart and it becomes incapable of regular expansion and contraction, which in turn further leads to a number of complications.

Heart attack can lead to a condition of irregular rhythm of the heart beat. This condition is known as arrhythmia, which can weaken the heart further and may even prove to be fatal. It is quite common after an heart attack and often continues even after the acute phase of the heart attack is over. Heart attacks can also give rise to problems in valves. The valve controls the direction of flow of the blood. Problems like leakages are very serious and may cause death.

Another effect of heart attack is congestive heart failure. This occurs when the heart loses its capacity to act as a pump for circulation of body due to the damage caused by an heart attack on the muscles of left ventricles. As a result, oxygenated blood cannot reach the organs of the body in adequate amounts and gets accumulated inside the heart. Lack of oxygen in the organs causes fatigue, increase in body weight due to accumulation of fluid and other such conditions.

Myocardial rupture is another condition that affects the body after an heart attack. However, it is not a very common occurrence and usually shows up within the first ten days post the heart attack. Here, a section of the heart muscle may rupture due to a rise in the pressure against the weak inner walls of the the heart. This rise in pressure is doe to the inability of the heart to pump out the blood. This kind of a tear in muscles causes heavy bleeding that can be fatal.

A heart attack does not mean that the person has to suffer for life. If the damage is not a severe one, a patient can recover and resume work and all other routine activities after some months. However, regular visits to the doctor for physical examination and care is a must to prevent any future occurrence of a heart attack.