Research shows that there are a total of 735,000 people in the US who have died from myocardial infarction. It is considered as the most leading cause of death for people in the US. Due to its sudden onset, it is better for you to act quickly if your loved one suffers from myocardial infarction.
Myocardial infarction, also known as heart attack, typically occurs when blood flow to the heart is blocked due to a clogged artery leading to inadequate supply of oxygen-rich blood that pumps to the heart. If blockage persists or if this clogged artery will not be dilated, the heart will not receive anymore blood from the system, thus death occurs.
Here are the 10 astonishing myocardial infarction facts:
- Every 20 seconds, heart attack occurs and death occurs every minute.
- Almost 14 million of Americans have a history of myocardial infarction or angina.
Like myocardial infarction, angina occurs when the vessels that supply oxygen-rich blood to the heart NARROWS. Angina differs from myocardial infarction in terms of PAIN.
They are usually known as “the silent killer”. It commonly occurs to elderly patients and to patients with diabetes. These individuals are prone to develop heart attacks, hence a regular visit with a cardiologist is highly advised.
4. Men and women have different symptoms of heart attack.
Men usually experience moderate to severe chest pain, shortness of breath, dizziness and pain that radiates in the arms and chest. Women, on the other hand, will not experience chest pain. They feel pain in the neck, shoulder, or at their back. Sometimes they feel fatigue, nausea and vomiting.
5. Women at the age of 50 are more likely to die from heart attack than men of the same age.
6. There are more than 1 million people in the US who suffer from myocardial infarction per year.
7. People with heart attacks usually spend more than 60 billion dollars every year for hospital charges, surgeries, doctors’ fees and prescribed meds.
8. At the first sign of chest pain, chewing an uncoated Aspirin may help alleviate the pain.
9. Approximately 50% deaths related to heart attacks occur suddenly outside hospital premises.
10. Heart attacks can occur to young people. Heart attacks may happen much earlier in life. This is primarily due to familial heart disease, presence of certain heart disease at birth, lifestyle and too much fat in the diet.
No matter what age you are, NEVER ever neglect the impending warning signs of myocardial infarction.
Image Credits: gizmodo, webmd, healthyfoodhouse
