Heart Attack

A heart attack (myocardial infarction or MI) is a serious medical emergency in which the supply of blood to the heart is suddenly blocked, usually by a blood clot

The chest pain is often severe, but some people may only experience minor pain, similar to indigestion.

While the most common symptom is chest pain, symptoms can vary from person to person. Some people may have other symptoms such as shortness of breath, feeling or being sick and back or jaw pain without any chest pain.

Call 999 immediately if you think someone might be having a heart attack. The faster you act, the better their chances.

Symptoms of a heart attack

Symptoms of a heart attack can include:

• chest pain – a feeling of pressure, heaviness, tightness or squeezing across your chest
• pain in other parts of the body – it can feel as if the pain is spreading from your chest to your arms (usually the left arm, but it can affect both arms), jaw, neck, back and tummy
• feeling lightheaded or dizzy
• sweating
• shortness of breath
• feeling sick (nausea) or being sick (vomiting)
• an overwhelming feeling of anxiety (similar to a panic attack)
• coughing or wheezing

Treating heart attacks

While waiting for an ambulance, it may help to chew and then swallow a tablet of aspirin (ideally 300mg), as long as the person having a heart attack is not allergic to aspirin.

Aspirin helps to thin the blood and improves blood flow to the heart.

In hospital, treatment for a heart attack depends on the type of heart attack, and how serious it is.

The 2 main treatments are:

• using medicines to dissolve blood clots
• surgery to help restore blood to the heart

Eat a healthy, balanced diet

A low-fat, high-fibre diet is recommended, which should include plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables (5 portions a day) and whole grains.

You should limit the amount of salt you eat to no more than 6g (0.2oz) a day, as too much salt will increase your blood pressure. 6g of salt is about 1 teaspoonful.

There are 2 types of fat: saturated and unsaturated. You should avoid food containing saturated fats, because these will increase the levels of bad cholesterol in your blood, which can lead to your artery walls becoming thicker with deposits, increasing your risk of heart disease.

Read more:

• Preventing Heart Disease |NHS 
• Facts about sugar | NHS
• Prevention Guideline | BHF

Be more physically active

Combining a healthy diet with regular exercise is the best way of maintaining a healthy weight. Having a healthy weight reduces your chances of developing high blood pressure.

Regular exercise will make your heart and blood circulatory system more efficient, lower your cholesterol level, and also keep your blood pressure at a healthy level.

Exercising regularly reduces your risk of having a heart attack. The heart is a muscle and, like any other muscle, benefits from exercise. A strong heart can pump more blood around your body with less effort.

Any aerobic exercise, such as walking, swimming and dancing, makes your heart work harder and keeps it healthy.

Keep to a healthy weight

Making small, simple changes to what and how much you are eating and drinking can really help you lose the pounds.

A GP or practice nurse can tell you what your ideal weight is in relation to your height and build. Alternatively, you can calculate your body mass index (BM) online.

If you’re overweight, losing weight has many health benefits. It might help reduce the risk of developing health conditions such as high blood pressure, heart disease and type 2 diabetes.

If you are pregnant, read our blog on Fitness, Nutrition & Hydration in Pregnancy

Alcohol

Regularly exceeding the recommended alcohol limits raises your blood pressure and cholesterol level, increasing your risk of a heart attack.

Speak to your GP for advice about drinking alcohol if:

• you’ve recently had heart surgery
• you’re taking certain medicine for your heart such as warfarin
• you have a heart condition such as an arrhythmia

If you drink alcohol, do not exceed the recommended limits:

• men and women are advised not to regularly drink more than 14 units of alcohol a week
• spread your drinking over 3 or more days if you regularly drink as much as 14 units a week
• find out how to calculate the number of units in drinks

14 units is equivalent to 6 pints of average-strength beer, or 10 small glasses of low-strength wine.

Read our blog on alcohol support and advice.

Smoking

Smoking is a major risk factor for heart attack because it causes atherosclerosis and raises blood pressure.

A GP can refer you to a local NHS Stop Smoking Service, which will provide support and advice about the best ways to quit.

You can also call the NHS Smokefree Helpline on 0300 123 1044 (England only, from Monday to Friday 9am to 8pm, and Saturday and Sunday 11am to 4pm). Specially trained helpline staff offer free expert advice and encouragement.

If you are committed to quitting but do not want to be referred to a stop smoking service, a GP should be able to prescribe treatment to help with withdrawal symptoms you may experience.

Read our blog on Stoptober – Quit smoking