The infarct is a disruption of blood flow to the heart that can be caused by the accumulation of fat in the arteries, increased blood pressure and obesity, for example. Learn all about acute myocardial infarction.
The infarction can occur in men and women, being more common after the 40 years of age. To reduce the risk of having a heart attack, what can be done is to adopt healthy habits of life, such as a balanced diet and regular exercise. Thus, in addition to avoiding the infarction, other cardiovascular diseases such as arrhythmias and mitral insufficiency, for example, are prevented.
Main causes
The infarction can be caused by obstruction of the passage of blood to the heart due to some factors, such as:
1. Atherosclerosis
Atherosclerosis is the main cause of heart attack and is caused mainly by excessive consumption of foods rich in fat and cholesterol, which favors the formation of fat plaques within the arteries, preventing normal blood flow and causing heart attack. Learn more about the main causes of atherosclerosis.
2. High blood pressure
High blood pressure, also called high blood pressure, can favor the infarct because, due to the increase in blood pressure inside the arteries, the heart starts to work harder, thickening the artery wall and thus making it difficult to pass blood.
High blood pressure can be caused by a number of factors, such as excessive salt intake, obesity, sedentary lifestyle, or even due to some genetic alteration. See what the symptoms are and how to treat high blood pressure.
3. Diabetes
People with diabetes are more likely to develop cardiovascular disease, since normally associated with diabetes there is atherosclerosis and unhealthy lifestyle habits such as unbalanced eating and lack of exercise.
Diabetes is a chronic disease in which there is decreased insulin production or resistance to its activity in the body, leading to accumulation of glucose in the blood. Understand what diabetes is and how the treatment is done.
4. Obesity
Obesity increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases, because it is a disease characterized by sedentary lifestyle and excessive consumption of foods rich in sugar and fat, which favors the development of various diseases such as diabetes, high cholesterol and hypertension, which favor the occurrence of infarction . Learn more about the complications of obesity and how to protect yourself.
5. Smoking
Frequent and constant use of the cigarette can lead to inflammation in the wall of the blood vessels and consequent stiffening, which causes the heart to work more, favoring the infarction, as well as stroke, thrombosis and aneurysm. In addition, the cigarette promotes a greater absorption of the cholesterol and, thus, stimulates the production of new plates of fat, that is, it favors atherosclerosis. See other diseases caused by cigarettes.
6. Drug and alcohol use
Both the use of illicit drugs and the excessive consumption of alcoholic beverages can increase the chances of having a heart attack due to the increase of the blood pressure. See the effects of alcohol on the body.
Other causes
In addition to the aforementioned causes, infarction can also be a consequence of psychological disorders, such as depression or stress, for example, the use of some medications and, especially, sedentary lifestyle, since it is usually associated with unhealthy eating habits. Check out some tips to get out of sedentary lifestyle.
Consequences of infarction
The consequences of infarction depend on the severity of the condition. When the infarction affects only a small area of the heart, the possibility of no consequence is greater, however, in most cases, the main consequence of the infarction is the change in the contraction of the heart muscle, which can be classified as:
- Mild systolic dysfunction;
- Moderate systolic dysfunction;
- Severe or severe systolic dysfunction.
Other possible consequences of the infarction are cardiac arrhythmias or disturbance in the functioning of the mitral valve, provoking mitral insufficiency. Understand what mitral regurgitation is.
