Reduce the risk of heart-attack means making a healthy lifestyle choice and taking proper treatments for medical conditions that can raises its risk factor.

How do you Prevent Heart Attack?

You can prevent heart attack by following healthy lifestyle choices as said below:

• Follow low; fat, salt, and sugar. Prefer fruits and vegetables rich food choices. These changes can help lower high pressure, cholesterol, and diabetes.
• If overweight or obese – plan to lose weight in steps provides you with amazing benefits.
• If smoking – plan to quit smoking immediately; it is a major risk factor not only for heart attack also for other conditions that contribute to heart attack.
• Increasing physical activity can improve heart fitness, also supports, and improves other conditions that are the risk factors of heart attack. Consult your doctor before starting it and know how much & which are suitable and safe.

For detail information, you can visit therapeutic lifestyle changes - cholesterol section.

Treatments for (heart attack) related conditions

Prevent heart attack by providing proper treatment for the conditions that is a risk factor:

• Hyperlipidemia – lower the cholesterol by lifestyle changes, if not produce expected result have some medication to keep it close to normal ranges.
• High blood pressure – take necessary steps or medications to keep it in control.
• Diabetes (high blood glucose) – strictly follow lifestyle changes and have medications to keep it in the target range to avoid risk of heart attack and other diabetic long-term complications.

A stroke occurs when a part of brain suddenly not receiving the blood supply or a sudden bleeding in the brain by a blood vessel bursts.

Stroke or Brain Attack

A stroke or brain attack develops when a blood clot blocks an artery that supplies oxygen-rich blood to the brain or a blood vessel break, interrupting blood flow to an area of the brain. Thus, brain cells do not receive oxygen and nutrient-rich blood, begins to die, and causes brain damage.

Stroke classification

Classify stroke or brain attack into two types; they are Ischemic stroke and Hemorrhagic stroke based upon the way it has to happen.

Ischemic Stroke - When there is a blockage in an artery supplying blood to the brain, suddenly decreasing or stopping blood flow and ultimately causing a brain infarction. Blood clots are the most common cause of artery blockage and brain infarction.

Hemorrhagic Stroke - In a healthy individual, neurons do not come into direct contact with blood. Neurons receive nutrients and oxygen via thin walls of cerebral capillaries. When arteries in the brain break open and spill blood, can affect chemical balance that is necessary for the neurons to function normally called as hemorrhagic stroke.

Transient Ischemic Attacks - Otherwise, known as mini-stroke; it starts just like a stroke but resolves leaving no noticeable symptoms or deficits.

When brain cells die during a stroke, functions controlled by that area of the brain are affected. These functions include speech, movement, and memory.

One who has a minor stroke may have only lesser problems of arm or leg weakness. People who have major strokes may be paralyzed on one side or lose their ability to speak.

Heart failure is a condition in which the heart cannot; fill-with or send-out enough blood or sometimes both.

What is Heart Failure?

From the name, “Heart failure” does not mean that the heart has stopped or is going to stop working. However, it means a serious condition that requires special medical care.

Heart failure develops over time as the pumping of the heart becomes weaker. Heart failure can affect right side only or both right and left.

If right side is affected, the heart cannot pump blood to the lungs as required and shortage of oxygen may cause fluid build-up in the feet, ankles, legs, liver, abdomen, and sometimes veins in the necks.

If left side is affected the heart cannot be able to pump oxygen-rich blood to the rest of the body as required. If both right and left, get affected cause’s shortness of breath, tiredness, and fatigue.

Most likely causes of heart failure are coronary heart disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes.
Heart Failure can also call as Dropsy, Left-side, or systolic heart failure, right side, or diastolic heart failure.

Heart attack occurs when blood flow to an area of heart muscle is blocked. If the blood flow is not restoring quickly, that area of heart muscle may damage due to lack of oxygen and start to die.

Heart Attack

Heart attack is a major killer of both men and women in the Universe. However, the today treatments for heart attack not only save lives and prevent disabilities. Treatment gives excellent results if started within one hour of the beginning of symptoms.

Heart attacks can occur mostly due to the condition called coronary heart disease, a fatty substance called plaque start builds up for years on the inside walls of the coronary arteries that supply blood and oxygen to the heart. Over time, an area of plaque can crack, causing a blood clot to attach on the surface of the plaque. If the clot is large enough, it can block mostly or completely the flow of oxygen-rich blood.

At the time of a heart attack, if the blockage in the coronary artery not clears quickly, then the heart muscle will start to die and replace with a scar tissue. This damage to the heart may not be obvious, or it may cause other severe heart problems.

Other severe heart problems linked to heart attack are heart failure and arrhythmias or irregular heartbeats. Heart failure is the inability of the heart to pump enough blood throughout the body. Ventricular fibrillation is a serious arrhythmia that can cause even death if not treated properly and quickly.

Heart attack can also call as Coronary thrombosis, Coronary occlusion, acute coronary syndrome, Myocardial infarction, or MI, Acute myocardial infarction, or AMI.

Coronary artery disease (CAD) or coronary heart disease is a condition in which plaque builds up inside the coronary arteries, which supplies oxygen-rich blood to the heart muscles.

Coronary artery disease (CAD)

Plaque is made of fat, cholesterol, calcium, and other things found in the blood. Plaque builds up in the arteries is atherosclerosis.

Build-up of plaque narrows the arteries and thus reduces blood flow to the heart muscle. In addition, it encourages the formation of blood clots in the arteries, which are partially or completely blocks the blood flow. Lack of blood flow to heart muscles causes’ chest pain or discomfort called angina.

A heart attack may occur when blood flow to the heart muscle is completely blocked and prevents oxygen-rich blood supply to a certain area of heart muscle and causes it to die. Without immediate emergency treatment, a heart attack can cause serious problems and even death.

In due course coronary artery disease can weaken the heart muscle and may develop heart failure and arrhythmias (irregular rhythm of heartbeat). Heart failure is a condition in which the heart cannot be able to pump enough blood throughout the body.

Coronary Artery Disease can also call as coronary heart disease, Heart disease, Ischemic heart disease.

Angina itself is not a disease, rather a symptom of an underlying heart problem. Angina is usually a symptom of coronary heart disease, the most common heart disease.

What is Angina?

Angina is chest pain or discomfort that occurs when an area of your heart muscle doesn't get enough oxygen-rich blood.

Types of Angina : There are three types of angina; they are stable, unstable, and variant, they have separate symptoms and need different treatments.

Stable Angina

Stable angina is the most common angina, occurs when the heart is working harder than normal. It has a regular pattern, so learn to predict when the pain will occur. Stable angina itself is not a heart attack, but it is more likely it may cause a heart attack in the future.

The pain usually goes away in a few minutes after taking rest or angina medication.

Unstable Angina

Unstable angina has no pattern, so difficult to predict when it occurs. It can occur with or without physical exertion. Rest or medicine will not relieve the pain.

Unstable angina is very dangerous and needs emergency treatment. It is advance notice to be a heart attack.

Variant Angina

Variant angina is rare angina, usually occurs while at rest. The pain can be severe, happens between midnight and early morning, pain relieved by medicine.

Not all cases of chest pain or discomfort are angina. A lung problem, heartburn, or a panic attack can also cause chest pain or discomfort similar to angina.

Angina is otherwise call as Angina pectoris, acute coronary-syndrome, chest-pain, coronary artery spasms, stable angina, common angina, unstable angina, and variant angina.

Atherosclerosis is a disease caused by the buildup of fatty deposits on the inner side of arteries called as plaque. Arteries are blood vessels that carry oxygen and nutrients rich blood to the heart, brain, and other parts of the body.

Atherosclerosis by Plaque

Fat, cholesterol, calcium, and some other substances available in the blood make the plaque. Over time plaque, buildup causes narrowing of arteries and reduces oxygen and nutrient-rich blood to brain, heart, and other part of the body. In addition, plaques harden causing hardening of arteries. This develops to a serious condition, including heart attack, stroke, or may even end up with death.

Atherosclerosis otherwise called as:

• Arteriosclerosis
• Hardening of the arteries

Atherosclerosis Causes

Atherosclerosis may start when there is damage in the inner layers of the arteries. This damage may cause by:

• Smoking
• High cholesterol or hyperlipidemia
• High blood pressure or hypertension
• High blood glucose or diabetes

Over time, this plaque can become to harden and may even crack. Platelet a blood cell’s join-together causes blood clots over the cracked plaque. This further narrows the arteries and worsens chest pain called angina or even causes a heart attack.