• Question: HOW CAN YOU HAVE A HEART ATTACK

    Asked by 557rhed48 to David on 17 Nov 2015.
    • Photo: David Nunan

      David Nunan answered on 17 Nov 2015:

      Hey,

      There are a number of reasons why people have heart attacks. The most common by far are caused by blood clots that form inside the arteries that supply blood (and oxygen) to the heart muscle.
      These clots occur when fatty plaques form inside the artery, usually due to too cholesterol (from saturated fat) in our diets. Blood flowing through the artery attached to the fatty plaque and causes a blockage (a bit like a damn!).
      The bit of heart muscle beyond the blockage no longer receives oxygen rich blood and starts to die. This is what people feel as pain when they have a heart attack.
      Here’s a nice video that explains this type of heart attack: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8P3n6GKBSY

      Other types can be due to genetic defects with the heart but these are much less common.

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