Question “What’s the difference between a heart attack and an MI...?”

Answer:

• They are different names for the same thing.

What is a heart attack/MI?

• Everyone has heard the term, but what is it really?
• MI stands for Myocardial Infarction.
• The term is derived from both Greek and Latin.  This is can be rather descriptive if you take the words apart.
• Myocardial: Greek. μῦς (mys) muscle + καρδία (kardiā) heart.
• Infarction: Latin. infarctus = stuffed into (apparently stuffing an artery to clog it).  This artery clogging will cause tissue death.
• Put it together and you have dead heart muscle.
• An MI is caused by a blocked artery that supplies the heart with nutrients. There are many potential reasons for a blocked artery, but most of them are a result of lifestyle and genetics. A common scenario is that the artery wall becomes damaged after years of cholesterol/fat buildup. The chronic high sugar level in the blood from diabetes will also do some major damage to arteries.  Smoking wreaks havoc on the arteries throughout your body.  Risk factors for heart attack are also risk factors for stroke, though the diseases are treated differently.
• Depending on what part of the heart is affected, a heart attack can lead to chronic symptoms or sudden death.

Analogy:

Chronic:

• An artery is like a pipe. If the gunk in an old pipe is bad enough, than the flow out of the pipe will diminish.
• If this gunked up pipe is irrigating the plants in your garden, your plants will get little water. They may not die right away, but they won’t do well.
• Your heart is the same way; reduced flow = unhappy heart. A narrowed heart artery (coronary artery) can cause chronic symptoms and will predispose to acute problems.

Acute:

• The more gunk in the artery the more unstable it is. If the gunk in the pipe becomes unstable and breaks off, the material can go down stream and completely block (occlude) the pipe. As you can imagine, this could be a problem for your prized tomatoes. No water= dead plants.
• Likewise, if the gunk (plaque) in the artery to your heart becomes unstable, it can occlude (completely block) blood flow to that part of the heart. This is a heart attack/MI.
• Dead heart tissue does not come back. However, if the blockage is removed before the tissue dies, then the problem can be reversed. But you have to get to the hospital quickly so this can be done before it is too late.  Time is heart!

Think you are having a heart attack?

• If you think you are having a heart attack, call 911 and go to the ER right away. Minutes count!
• If you know that aspirin is safe for you, I also recommend that you take an aspirin on the way to the hospital.
• Taking an aspirin can be the single most important thing you can do to save your life from a heart attack. But you must also go to the hospital quickly. Don’t delay going to the hospital by shopping around for aspirin. If you are at risk for a heart attack, carry some aspirin with you.
• The fastest way to get aspirin in your system is to chew and swallow a non-enteric coated tablet. The recommendation is to chew a single 325 mg (regular strength) tablet on the way to the hospital. Let the personal at the hospital know you took aspirin so they can act accordingly.

What are heart attack symptoms?

• Symptoms are different for different people and the degree/area of the artery blockage.
• Classical symptoms of acute myocardial infarction include sudden chest pain (typically radiating to the left arm or left side of the neck), shortness of breath, nausea, vomiting, palpitations, sweating, and anxiety (often described as a sense of impending doom).
• Not everyone has the classic symptoms. Some of these symptoms are nonspecific and may indicate that something else is going on. Women may experience fewer typical symptoms than men; most commonly shortness of breath, weakness, a feeling of indigestion, and fatigue. Some heart attacks happen without acute symptoms.
• The American Heart Association covers some of this. http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=3053

Prevention is the best cure:

• An additional preventive measure for many people who are at risk is an 81 mg aspirin tablet a day. Aspirin keeps your platelets from sticking together and therefore keeps potential blockage to a minimum. 
• However, there are also potential side effects and contraindications to the use of aspirin. Talk to your doctor about your specific situation before starting this type of daily prevention.  There are many other medications that can be taken as prevention (most prescription). Each has their own inherit risks and benefits.  Talk to your doctor about what is right for you.

What's the best thing you can do to prevent a heart attack? (This also applies to stroke prevention)

• Depends on who you are.
• However, no matter who you are, if you smoke, stop!
• In addition, reasonable diet (more veggies and less processed food) and daily exercise is very effective and has little side effects (Most common side effect: feeling better in general). Stress reduction/management techniques have also been shown to be very effective. 
• If you are at risk for heart attack or stroke, a combination of positive lifestyle habits and medications may be your best option. Talk to your doctor.
• Since the buildup of deadly artery plaque occurs throughout everyone's life, it is never too early to start positive lifestyle changes.