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HowToPreventHeartDisease.com |
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How Is Heart Attack Related To Heart Failure? Heart attack, also known as myocardial infarction (MI), occurs when the flow of blood to the heart is blocked. Heart failure, on the other hand, is a term used to describe a heart that works less efficiently than normal. As such, the heart cannot pump enough oxygen and nutrients to meet the body’s needs. Both heart failure and heart attack are classified as heart disease. They share some common causes, but they are actually different kind of disorders. Heart attack usually happens suddenly while heart failure often develops gradually. If a person has had a heart attack, the heart muscle has been damaged. He or she may be at risk of developing heart failure, even only minimal or moderate damage occurs. For those who have had a very large heart attack, the risk of heart failure is acute and can occur within the first few hours or days of the heart attack. Following a heart attack, the undamaged parts of the muscle will stretch, attempting to take over the work of the damaged muscle. Such enlargement of the heart is called cardiomegaly. The process, known as cardiac remodeling, causes the heart to become larger. This allows the heart to contract more forcefully, though weakens the muscle over time, will actually contributes to the elevated risk of heart failure after a heart attack. In 2016, a study reported that the risk of heart failure appears within a few years of a first heart attack. The findings were presented by researchers from the University Medical Center Utrecht in the Netherlands at the European Society of Cardiology’s World Congress on Acute Heart Failure, held from May 21 to 24, 2016 in Florence, Italy. Data from 24,745 patients in the United Kingdom who suffered a first heart attack were analyzed. Nearly 25 percent of these patients developed heart failure within 4 years. According to the researchers, certain risk factors raised the risk of heart failure after a first heart attack. For instance, every 10-year rise in age was associated with a 45 percent higher risk, and the poorest patients had a 27 percent increased risk. Atrial fibrillation, a condition characterized by an abnormal heartbeat, and diabetes also significantly increased the risk of heart failure, by 63 percent and 44 percent, respectively. Other health conditions linked to a higher risk of heart failure after a first heart attack included peripheral arterial disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, hypertension, and ST-segment elevation heart attack.
Patients of heart attack are usually advised by their cardiologist to undergo a noninvasive imaging test, either a multigated acquisition (MUGA) scan, or an echocardiogram, to determine what is known as the left ventricle ejection fraction (LVEF). LVEF is the percentage of blood pumped out by the left ventricle with each heartbeat. An LVEF of less than 40 percent indicates significant heart damage has occurred. Meanwhile, the doctors will prescribe their heart attack patients beta blockers or ACE inhibitors (angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors), which are known to significantly reduce remodeling after a heart attack, thereby improving survival rates for people who have signs of impending heart failure. Beta blockers work by blocking the effect of adrenaline on the heart. Most people who have had a heart attack should be given a beta blocker, with the exception of those with severe asthma or other lung disease. ACE inhibitors are believed to help prevent or delay remodeling after a heart attack, thereby lowering the risk of a recurrent heart attack, stroke, or sudden death. They are known to significantly improve long-term survival. Among the side effects of beta blockers are fatigue, dizziness, poor circulation, gastrointestinal symptoms, sexual dysfunction, and weight gain. Taking ACE inhibitor may have side effects that include cough, low blood pressure, dizziness, rashes, gastrointestinal upset, and deterioration of kidney function. Nevertheless, in addition to medications, the key to maintaining the cardiac health is for the patients to make significant changes in their diet, activity levels, and certain habits that impact the heart health. For example, quitting smoking, limiting alcohol intake, getting enough sleep, and lowering blood pressure can all help. Date: November 5, 2020
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