Myocardial infarction: Causes and prevention

(Baonghean.vn) - Myocardial infarction refers to the necrosis of a portion of the heart muscle due to ischemia occurring after prolonged blockage in the coronary arteries supplying that area.

Causes of myocardial infarction:

Common causes include:

• A blood clot in a region of the coronary artery that has been narrowed due to atherosclerosis.

• Subendothelial hemorrhage of an atherosclerotic plaque in a coronary artery.

• There are cases of myocardial infarction not caused by obvious coronary artery blockage as seen on contrast angiography. Scientists explain this by prolonged coronary artery spasm, a rapidly cleared blood clot, or a coronary microcirculatory disorder. Sometimes it is due to improper coronary angiography techniques or inaccurate interpretation of the angiography images.

The formation of atherosclerotic plaques is the leading cause of myocardial infarction (heart attack).

Less common causes:

• Coronary artery occlusion due to a distant embolism (in infectious endocarditis, mitral stenosis).

• Narrowing of the coronary artery opening due to a lesion in the aorta (primarily caused by syphilis or atherosclerosis).

• Vasculitis in autoimmune diseases, coronary artery malformations, and cardiac trauma.

Factors that increase the risk of myocardial infarction (diseases that contribute to the development of atherosclerosis):

• High blood pressure.

• Surgery.

• Tachycardia, complete arrhythmia.

• Heart valve and myocardial diseases.

• Diabetes.

• Polycythemia.

• Peptic ulcer disease and biliary tract disease

Disease triggers:

• Unusual exertion, strong emotions.

• Chest injury, shock.

• Paroxysmal tachycardia, severe bleeding.

• Tobacco abuse.

• Occupations that always cause nervous tension

Ways to prevent and avoid heart attacks:

1. Do not smoke.

If you haven't smoked, never start. Avoiding smoking is the best way to maintain your health and prevent heart attacks, lung cancer, and many other dangerous diseases.

2. Maintain a healthy weight.

Weight gain leads to increased cholesterol levels in the blood, causing many dangerous diseases, most notably heart attacks. Therefore, maintaining a healthy weight is crucial. If you are overweight, consider a weight loss program to promote heart health and prevent heart attacks and other diseases.

3. A balanced diet, reducing fatty foods.

Blood fat levels tend to increase as you get older. A low-fat, low-cholesterol diet can help prevent this. The following diet may help you prevent heart attacks:

- Control the types and amounts of food you eat each day.

- You shouldn't eat too much meat, fish, and poultry in one day.

- Use only 5-8 teaspoons of oil or fat for cooking per day.

- Try to prepare food with little or no fat, such as boiling or blanching, and limit fried foods.

- You should not eat animal offal such as liver, brain, kidneys, heart, etc.

- You need to eat plenty of fruits and vegetables.

4. Exercise regularly.

Regular exercise can help prevent heart attacks and improve your overall health. Whatever type of exercise you choose, it's essential and should be done. Aim to exercise 3-4 times a week, for 30-60 minutes each time.

This is especially important if you are middle-aged or older and have heart disease or some other medical condition. Before exercising, it's best to consult your doctor.

5. Avoid stress.

Stress can harm the heart or increase the risk of many other diseases, so do something to avoid it. Relax a little during work hours, at night, and on days off. This is a good way to prevent heart attacks.

6. Limit alcohol consumption.

Some studies suggest that moderate alcohol consumption (1-2 glasses/day) may help protect your heart and prevent heart attacks. However, drinking more than that will harm your body. Excessive alcohol consumption can increase blood pressure, lead to weight gain, raise blood triglycerides, and cause heart rhythm disturbances, making it very easy to have a heart attack.

7. Get regular health checkups.

Regular health checkups are very important, especially for people with risk factors such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, and a family history of multiple heart attacks.

Khanh Chi

(Synthetic)