Diabetes and Heart Attack
Heart attack is another emergency condition that needs immediate
medical care. This condition is triggered by insufficient blood and oxygen
supply to heart muscle or myocardium. To be able to pumping blood to our entire
body, the heart should have enough supply of blood and oxygen through two major
arteries called the coronary artery.
Cause
Heart attack is the result of a long process starting with the accumulation of lipoproteins in the vessels lining. The process continues to become atherosclerosis, the hardening and narrowing of blood vessels and the formation of plaques and thrombus.
A thrombus may release itself to become an embolus that is carried by the blood stream to park and cause obstruction somewhere else. If this happened to the coronary artery, the main vessel that supplies blood and oxygen to heart muscles, it will cause myocard infarct or damage of the heart muscle.
Myocard infarct may cause a sudden break of the heart pumping function, known as cardiac arrest, which can be deadly. One third of people suffering heart attack died during mobilization to the hospital without any symptoms shown prior to the attack.
Heart attack is strongly related to diabetes. Diabetes is considered as one of the major predisposition factors of suffering from a heart attack if not treated well. Heart attack in diabetic people is more complicated to handle and usually ends up with death.
Sign and Symptoms
There are 3 conditions that may reflect the severity of myocard infarct, those are: angina pectoris, acute heart attack and cardiac arrest
Angina pectoris
A stubbing pain may be felt yanking in short intervals. It is usually felt after some exercise and disappear after resting for a while. Overeating, cold weather and stress may trigger angina pectoris. In normal conditions or resting period, blood stream – which means oxygen – will be sufficient. As soon as an activity that needs oxygen and energy is exerted, the pain of angina pectoris will appear.
Acute Heart Attack
The specific pain in an acute heart attack is a persistent pain felt in the chest, reflected to the left upper arm, down to the lower arm and could be felt till the tip of the little finger. It can be felt minutes to hours before a pain relief is taken. The patient may feel being helpless and is in terrible pain. The first several hours may be very critical, since decrease of blood flow to the muscle will cause heart arrythmia (irregular heart beats) and the diminishing of the heart’s pumping power. The heart may last 20 – 25 minutes in this low oxygen situation, but beyond that, muscle damages will be irreversible.
Cardiac Arrest
This is a sudden break of the heart. This is the most severe condition of myocard infarct where the damaged of heart muscles is too severe and covers a large area. The heart is already helpless. The severe blood or oxygen insufficiency will cause the trembling of the heart chamber (= atrial fibrillation). The patient may feel a sudden stubbing pain in the chest and will loose consciousness in minutes. Dead will come in minutes if no action is taken.
Risk factors
Studies of risk factors for acquiring a cardiovascular disease have been established. Risk factors are genetic factors, age, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, smoking, obesity, diabetes and stress. To minimize the possibility of getting a heart disease, all risk factors should be taken into consideration when trying to set a corrective treatment.
Diagnosis and Treatment
Series of tests and scans will be required to thoroughly detect heart defects. An electrocardiogram or ECG recording plus some blood tests can be used for primary assessment of the heart and patient’s condition. An x-ray photo of the heart may indicate enlargement of the heart, while angiograms and radio-isotope scan may specifically locate damaged and blocked area.
Since heart attack is a medical emergency, it should be quickly attended by the administration of conventional medicines and or surgical therapy. This can best be done in the hospital’s intensive coronary care unit (ICCU). The patient is connected to an ECG machine and automatic drug feeder for constant monitoring and drug administration.
The initial conventional medicines prescribed by a cardiologist may consist of morphine (a strong analgesic or pain killer), beta-adrenergic blockers (to relax the heart) and aspirin (an anticoagulant to dilute blood and prevents blood clotting). If the critical situation passed successfully, treatment may be continued. Drug combination is a beta-adrenergic blocker, nitrates to increase blood flow and an anticoagulant
A patient recovering from a heart attack should be forced to mobilize themselves to avoid the formation of blood clots in leg veins. If this happen, a clot may travel with the blood stream and can cause an obstruction in the lungs. After hospitalization, the patient may as well continue drug treatment in combination with the therapeutic lifestyle changes as suggested by the cardiologist.
Prevention
Seek for social support by getting along with your relatives and friends. This may lower the risk of a heart attack. It is proven through research that people with poor social support have greater risk to acquire a heart attack.
Try to control emotion such as anger and hostility. Emotion may stimulate secretion of adrenalin that increases heart beats and tension of the blood vessels
If you are at high risk for heart attack you should schedule a regular test to detect silent ischemia of the heart muscle.
Consult your doctor whether it is necessary for you to take an aspirin daily, since aspirin significantly reduce the risk for heart attack.
On the Alert
Contact your doctor immediately without any delay if:
You or someone else experience symptoms of heart attack, like prolonged crushing, squeezing, stubbing or burning pain in the chest. Pain that is projected to the neck, left shoulder and arms, also shortness of breath, dizziness, nausea, chills, sweating and weak pulse. Gray pallor face, cold and clammy skin. Fainting and loss of consciousness
You suffer from angina pectoris and start to feel the same pain that does not respond to your medication. This is a sign that a heart attack is on its way
Your angina attacks become more frequent, prolonged and severe. This is the sign that your angina becomes worst and need quick action to prevent heart attack.
Heart attack is another emergency condition that needs immediate
medical care. This condition is triggered by insufficient blood and oxygen
supply to heart muscle or myocardium. To be able to pumping blood to our entire
body, the heart should have enough supply of blood and oxygen through two major
arteries called the coronary artery.Cause
Heart attack is the result of a long process starting with the accumulation of lipoproteins in the vessels lining. The process continues to become atherosclerosis, the hardening and narrowing of blood vessels and the formation of plaques and thrombus.
A thrombus may release itself to become an embolus that is carried by the blood stream to park and cause obstruction somewhere else. If this happened to the coronary artery, the main vessel that supplies blood and oxygen to heart muscles, it will cause myocard infarct or damage of the heart muscle.
Myocard infarct may cause a sudden break of the heart pumping function, known as cardiac arrest, which can be deadly. One third of people suffering heart attack died during mobilization to the hospital without any symptoms shown prior to the attack.
Heart attack is strongly related to diabetes. Diabetes is considered as one of the major predisposition factors of suffering from a heart attack if not treated well. Heart attack in diabetic people is more complicated to handle and usually ends up with death.
Sign and Symptoms
There are 3 conditions that may reflect the severity of myocard infarct, those are: angina pectoris, acute heart attack and cardiac arrest
Angina pectoris
A stubbing pain may be felt yanking in short intervals. It is usually felt after some exercise and disappear after resting for a while. Overeating, cold weather and stress may trigger angina pectoris. In normal conditions or resting period, blood stream – which means oxygen – will be sufficient. As soon as an activity that needs oxygen and energy is exerted, the pain of angina pectoris will appear.
Acute Heart Attack
The specific pain in an acute heart attack is a persistent pain felt in the chest, reflected to the left upper arm, down to the lower arm and could be felt till the tip of the little finger. It can be felt minutes to hours before a pain relief is taken. The patient may feel being helpless and is in terrible pain. The first several hours may be very critical, since decrease of blood flow to the muscle will cause heart arrythmia (irregular heart beats) and the diminishing of the heart’s pumping power. The heart may last 20 – 25 minutes in this low oxygen situation, but beyond that, muscle damages will be irreversible.
Cardiac Arrest
This is a sudden break of the heart. This is the most severe condition of myocard infarct where the damaged of heart muscles is too severe and covers a large area. The heart is already helpless. The severe blood or oxygen insufficiency will cause the trembling of the heart chamber (= atrial fibrillation). The patient may feel a sudden stubbing pain in the chest and will loose consciousness in minutes. Dead will come in minutes if no action is taken.
Risk factors
Studies of risk factors for acquiring a cardiovascular disease have been established. Risk factors are genetic factors, age, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, smoking, obesity, diabetes and stress. To minimize the possibility of getting a heart disease, all risk factors should be taken into consideration when trying to set a corrective treatment.
Diagnosis and Treatment
Series of tests and scans will be required to thoroughly detect heart defects. An electrocardiogram or ECG recording plus some blood tests can be used for primary assessment of the heart and patient’s condition. An x-ray photo of the heart may indicate enlargement of the heart, while angiograms and radio-isotope scan may specifically locate damaged and blocked area.
Since heart attack is a medical emergency, it should be quickly attended by the administration of conventional medicines and or surgical therapy. This can best be done in the hospital’s intensive coronary care unit (ICCU). The patient is connected to an ECG machine and automatic drug feeder for constant monitoring and drug administration.
The initial conventional medicines prescribed by a cardiologist may consist of morphine (a strong analgesic or pain killer), beta-adrenergic blockers (to relax the heart) and aspirin (an anticoagulant to dilute blood and prevents blood clotting). If the critical situation passed successfully, treatment may be continued. Drug combination is a beta-adrenergic blocker, nitrates to increase blood flow and an anticoagulant
A patient recovering from a heart attack should be forced to mobilize themselves to avoid the formation of blood clots in leg veins. If this happen, a clot may travel with the blood stream and can cause an obstruction in the lungs. After hospitalization, the patient may as well continue drug treatment in combination with the therapeutic lifestyle changes as suggested by the cardiologist.
Prevention
Seek for social support by getting along with your relatives and friends. This may lower the risk of a heart attack. It is proven through research that people with poor social support have greater risk to acquire a heart attack.
Try to control emotion such as anger and hostility. Emotion may stimulate secretion of adrenalin that increases heart beats and tension of the blood vessels
Acquire a heart attack risk assessment as a basis in setting your
lifestyle changes
If you are at high risk for heart attack you should schedule a regular test to detect silent ischemia of the heart muscle.
Consult your doctor whether it is necessary for you to take an aspirin daily, since aspirin significantly reduce the risk for heart attack.
On the Alert
Contact your doctor immediately without any delay if:
You or someone else experience symptoms of heart attack, like prolonged crushing, squeezing, stubbing or burning pain in the chest. Pain that is projected to the neck, left shoulder and arms, also shortness of breath, dizziness, nausea, chills, sweating and weak pulse. Gray pallor face, cold and clammy skin. Fainting and loss of consciousness
You suffer from angina pectoris and start to feel the same pain that does not respond to your medication. This is a sign that a heart attack is on its way
Your angina attacks become more frequent, prolonged and severe. This is the sign that your angina becomes worst and need quick action to prevent heart attack.
