Most heart attacks are caused by a blood clot that
blocks one of the coronary arteries. The coronary arteries
bring blood and oxygen to the heart. If the blood flow is
blocked, the heart starves for oxygen and heart cells die.
A clot most often forms in a coronary artery that has become
narrow because of the build-up of a substance called plaque
along the artery walls. (See: atherosclerosis) Sometimes,
the plaque cracks and triggers a blood clot to form.
Occasionally, sudden overwhelming stress can trigger a heart
attack.
It is difficult to estimate exactly how common heart attacks
are because as many as 200,000 to 300,000 people in the United
States die each year before medical help is sought. It is
estimated that approximately 1 million patients visit the
hospital each year with a heart attack. About 1 out of every
5 deaths are due to a heart attack.
Risk factors for heart attack and coronary artery disease
include:
Bad genes (hereditary factors)
Being male
Diabetes
Getting older
High blood pressure
Smoking
Too much fat in your diet
Unhealthy cholesterol levels, especially high LDL ("bad")
cholesterol and low HDL ("good") cholesterol
Higher-than-normal levels of homocysteine, C-reactive protein,
and fibrinogen may also increase your risk for a heart attack.
Homocysteine is an amino acid. C-reactive protein and fibrinogen
are linked to inflammation. Fibrinogen is also involved in
blood clotting.
