We often use these terms interchangeably, but they are different.
Heart attack
A heart attack, also known as a Myocardial infarction, occurs when the blood stream that carries oxygen-rich blood through a coronary artery is blocked.
This occurs due to the development of plaque (a buildup of fat or cholesterol) in the coronary arteries over time.
This process is known as Atherosclerosis.
Symptoms:
- Discomfort or pain in the chest,
- Pain in the left arm, jaw, and neck,
- Shortness of breath,
- Nausea,
- Cold sweat.
Risk factors:
- Habits like drinking alcohol and smoking,
- High blood pressure and high blood sugar,
- High cholesterol (Total number should not be more than 200mg/dl)
- Overweight (BMI should not be more than 25),
- A biological parent or sibling has heart disease.
Preventive measures:
Regular physical exercise of at least 150 minutes a week, Yoga, and Meditation, Eating heart-healthy fruits (Restrict intake of some fruits that are rich in carbohydrates, like banana, custard apple, mangoes), and nuts (all types of nuts are good for heart health).
Cardiac arrest:
A cardiac arrest is caused by a sudden stop of the electrical rhythm in the heart. Due to this, the heart’s blood-pumping function is arrested or stopped. Heart cannot pump blood to the lungs, brain, and other organs.
Minutes later, a person becomes unconscious, falls, and has no breath and no pulse.
Death can happen within minutes if the person does not receive CPR (CardioPulmonary Resuscitation) immediately.
Cardiac arrest can occur to anyone without any warning, so every person should be aware of how to perform CPR for those who are in need.
Causes & Risk factors:
Some factors that increase risk for cardiac arrest in persons who already have other heart-related diseases like,
- Heart valve disease,
- Coronary heart disease,
- Thickened Heart muscle (Cardiomyopathy),
- Severe emotional stress.
Prevention:
As always, a good and healthy lifestyle, a balanced diet, yoga, and meditation can be beneficial for preventing various types of diseases.
Conclusion:
A Heart attack is caused by an artery blockage in the circulation system of blood to the Heart, while a Cardiac arrest is caused due to the interruption in the electrical rhythm of the heart, which stops the pumping of blood “from the heart” to various organs.