Heart Attack, the Dangerous Killer of Mankind

Heart attack is one of the most dangerous killer of humankind, and has more victim than any serial killer ever known in history. The real serial killer such as Luis Garavito or Pedro Alonso López only kill around 400 people. But heart attack has killed abour 600.000 people only in US, and that’s about 1 in every 4 death.


Coronary heart disease is the most common type of heart disease, killing more than 385,000 people every year. About 715,000 Americans have a heart attack every year. Of these, 525,000 are a first heart attack and 190,000 happen for the second or third time.

Heart attack also known with nickname “the silent killer” because it kill suddenly without recognition from the victim. The question is why this scary killer can exist? The answer is lies in our body. The heart muscle requires a constant supply of oxygen-rich blood to nourish it. The coronary arteries provide the heart with this critical blood supply. If you have coronary artery disease, those arteries become slender and blood cannot flow as usual.

Fatty matter, calcium, proteins, and inflammatory cells build up within the arteries to form plaques of different sizes. The plaque deposits are hard on the outside and soft and mushy on the inside. When the plaque is hard, the outer shell cracks, platelets (disc-shaped particles in the blood that aid clotting) come to the area, and blood clots form around the plaque. If a blood clot totally blocks the artery, the heart muscle becomes shortage for oxygen. Within a short time, death of heart muscle cells occurs, causing permanent damage. This is a heart attack.

The healing process of the muscle of the heart after heart attack begins soon and takes about eight weeks. Just like an injury on skin, the heart's wound will heals and a scar will form in the damaged area. But, the new scar tissue does not contract. So, the heart's pumping ability is reduced after a heart attack. The losing ability of pumping will depend on the size and location of the scar.

To avoid the danger of heart attack, people should recognize the symptoms of the disease which include:

• Discomfort, pressure, heaviness, or pain in the chest, arm, or below the breastbone
• Discomfort radiating to the back, jaw, throat, or arm
• Fullness, indigestion, or choking feeling (may feel like heartburn)
• Sweating, nausea, vomiting, or dizziness
• Extreme weakness, anxiety, or shortness of breath
• Rapid or irregular heartbeats 

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