Myocardial infarction, or a heart attack, is caused by atherosclerosis, a disease that affects arterial walls and leads to plaque buildup. This can result in blockages or clots that cause damage to the heart muscle and can lead to various complications. Chest pain is the main symptom, and immediate medical attention is necessary if there are risk factors present.
Myocardial infarction is the formal medical term for a heart attack. The term specifically refers to a myocardial infarction, which simply results in damage to the inner muscle wall of the heart. This is significant since the myocardium is responsible for pumping away from the heart. If this function is impaired, ischemia will occur, a condition characterized by a lack of sufficient blood and oxygen supply to the heart. While there are numerous risk factors that can contribute to a diseased heart, the most common pathophysiology of myocardial infarction is atherosclerosis.
Atherosclerosis is a chronic inflammatory disease that affects the arterial walls, whose main function is to carry oxygen from the heart to the rest of the body through the circulatory system. Healthy arteries have strong, elastic walls in which specialized white blood cells called macrophages remove excess fat and cholesterol. However, if excessive amounts of macrophages and low-density lipoproteins build up within the arterial walls, plaque forms by a process known as furring or hardening of the arteries.
The mechanism behind atherosclerosis considered the most common pathophysiology of myocardial infarction is actually twofold. Either the condition is due to a complete occlusion, or blockage, of one or more arteries leading to the heart, or caused by pieces of arterial plaque breaking off and migrating away from the site of accumulation and causing spot clots to develop elsewhere . The final and permanent result is the same in both cases: the myocardial tissue cells die, leaving behind collagen scars.
Although atherosclerosis is the most common pathophysiology of myocardial infarction, its development does not always result in a sudden infarction. In fact, various other complications can arise before a heart attack occurs, if at all. Secondary conditions related to myocardial dysfunction include pulmonary congestion and edema, dyspnea, tachycardia, and arrhythmias.
The likelihood of any of the above conditions occurring depends on the location where the pathophysiology of myocardial infarction occurs, as well as the size and nature of the occlusions involved. For example, if the left-sided arteries of the heart are affected, the patient is at risk of pulmonary congestion and edema. This type of myocardial damage is also associated with excessive sweating, nausea, heart palpitations, and wheezing or shortness of breath.
The main symptom of myocardial infarction is chest pain, most often described as a feeling of strong pressure or stiffness in the chest. Additionally, the pain often radiates from the chest to other regions, such as the left arm. However, the pain can also reach the neck, jaw line, right arm, or upper back. Experiencing any of these symptoms requires immediate medical attention, particularly if there is a history of high blood pressure, high cholesterol, smoking, or diabetes.
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