Like all the muscles in your body, your heart muscle needs oxygen to do its job. Blood brings oxygen to your heart, and when oxygen-rich blood is blocked or slowed, you can have a heart attack.
During a heart attack, a blockage or clot deprives part of the heart muscle of blood. The faster you get care, the less injury your heart experiences. Quick, comprehensive treatment can help your recovery and your return to daily life after having a heart attack.
Your heart works hard every day. Understanding how it works can help you lower your risk for conditions like coronary artery disease (CAD), atrial fibrillation (AFib), heart valve disease and more.
Take the quiz to test your knowledge and learn how to protect your heart.
Angina, or chest pain, is the most common warning sign of a heart attack, but there are many other symptoms, including:
These heart attacks, called silent ischemia or silent heart attacks, occur when blood flow is blocked temporarily. This temporary blockage deprives the heart muscle of oxygen for a short time.
Women can experience heart attacks differently from the way men do. While chest pain is the most common symptom in men and women, women are more likely to have these symptoms:
Heart attacks mostly occur when plaque made up of fat, cholesterol and other substances builds up inside the walls of your coronary arteries. This plaque buildup causes the arteries to narrow, and the plaque can break off, forming blood clots. Narrowed arteries and blood clots can prevent blood from reaching your heart, causing a heart attack.
The slow buildup of plaque, called atherosclerosis, can cause coronary artery disease, and coronary artery disease is the most common cause of heart attacks in adults. Unfortunately, you can’t feel plaque building up in your arteries, and a heart attack can be the first sign you have coronary artery disease.
Heart attacks can also occur when one of the coronary arteries contracts or spasms suddenly, as this interrupts blood flow. In other rare cases, the coronary artery can tear unexpectedly, which is called spontaneous coronary artery dissection.
Many factors increase your risk of having a heart attack, some of which you can control and some you can’t.
A healthy lifestyle and regular visits with your primary care provider can help reduce these risk factors:
Women who had preeclampsia (a type of high blood pressure) during pregnancy also face a higher risk of heart attacks later in life.
The good news is that you can protect your heart regardless of your medical history, age, sex, or family history. If you have any of the risk factors above, talk to your provider about steps to improve your heart health.
Those include:
Our cardiologists are dedicated to helping you recover from a heart attack as quickly and thoroughly as possible. You have access to high-quality emergency and follow-up heart care at locations across North and Central Texas, so you can get back in action and protect your heart for the long term.
5308 N Galloway Ave Ste 201, Mesquite, TX, 75150
5308 N Galloway Ave Ste 201, Mesquite, TX, 75150
Not accepting walk-ins
6705 Heritage Pkwy Ste 202, Rockwall, TX, 75087
6705 Heritage Pkwy Ste 202, Rockwall, TX, 75087
Not accepting walk-ins
50 Hillcrest Medical Blvd Ste 303-B, Waco, TX, 76712
50 Hillcrest Medical Blvd Ste 303-B, Waco, TX, 76712
Not accepting walk-ins
7600 Better Way , Frisco, TX, 75033
7600 Better Way , Frisco, TX, 75033
Accepting walk-ins
213 Millcreek Dr Ste 190, Salado, TX, 76571
213 Millcreek Dr Ste 190, Salado, TX, 76571
Not accepting walk-ins
3341 Unicorn Lake Blvd , Denton, TX, 76210
3341 Unicorn Lake Blvd , Denton, TX, 76210
Not accepting walk-ins
