Heart disease is one of the leading causes of death worldwide and the leading cause of death in the United States. The health problem killed an estimated 17.9 million people in 2019, accounting for 32% of all deaths worldwide, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
But not all heart conditions are created equal. They can affect blood vessels in the heart or brain, muscles and valves in the heart, and other areas of the body.
Cardiovascular disease may require long-term treatment or it may come on suddenly and severely.
Buffalo Bills football player Damar Hamlin, 24, suffered a cardiac arrest and collapsed on the field during the first quarter of Monday night’s game between the Bills and Cincinnati Bengals, his team said. It is unclear what caused the cardiac arrest.
What is cardiac arrest?
Cardiac arrest results from electrical disturbances that cause the heart to suddenly stop beating properly. In cardiac arrest, death can occur quickly if measures are not taken immediately.
“Cardiac arrest can be reversed if CPR [reanimação cardiopulmonar] is performed and a defibrillator shocks the heart and restores normal heart rhythm within minutes,” according to the American Heart Association.
More than 350,000 cardiac arrests occur outside a hospital in the United States each year, according to the association.
A sudden and unexpected loss of heart function also results in a sudden loss of breathing and consciousness.
THE cardiac arrest is not the same as a heart attack although almost any known heart condition, including heart attack, can cause cardiac arrest.
Another emergency that can lead to cardiac arrest, commotio cordisis the interruption of the heart rhythm after a blow to the area directly over the heart at an important time during the heartbeat cycle.
It is rare, but mostly occurs in boys and young men during sports. The American Heart Association says it is the leading cause of death in youth baseball in the United States, typically two to three a year. Automated external defibrillators have helped to increase the survival rate.
What is a heart attack?
Unlike cardiac arrest, a heart attack it is a circulation problem . When circulation is blocked or cut off in some way and blood is no longer supplied to the heart muscle, it can damage that muscle – it is commonly described as a heart attack; doctors may refer to this as “myocardial infarction “.
The blockages that trigger heart attacks are mainly caused by a buildup of plaque in the arteries. Plaque forms when cholesterol combines with fat, calcium and other substances in the blood.
Combined, these elements harden into plaques, which can rupture, causing a blood clot to form. Large clots can completely block blood flow through an artery.
“People at risk for a heart attack are people with a family history of heart attack, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes, lack of exercise, smoking — the top risk factors we always discuss,” said Nieca Goldberg, chief medical officer at Atria New York. City and an associate clinical professor of medicine at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine, prior to CNN .
Another less frequent cause of a heart attack is a spasm caused by tobacco or possibly illicit drugs such as cocaine, which disables the heart muscle, according to the American Heart Association. A ruptured artery, although rare, can also result in a heart attack.
Heart attacks can be fatal, but they don’t automatically lead to death. Immediate emergency medical help can often prevent a serious outcome.
“If you think someone is having a heart attack, call 911. Don’t wait,” Goldberg said, explaining that it’s important to call an ambulance to the hospital rather than getting a ride from a family member or friend. An ambulance is equipped to provide treatment on the way to the hospital.
[Nota do editor: No Brasil, há serviços de emergência como o Samu, que atende pelo número 192]
Common warning signs of a heart attack are chest discomfort or pain; discomfort in other areas of your upper body, including pain in one or both arms, back, neck, jaw, or stomach, and shortness of breath. Other possible signs include a cold sweat, nausea, or dizziness.
Overall, heart attacks are more common than cardiac arrest in the United States.
What is heart failure?
THE cardiac insufficiency it is a condition that occurs when the heart, essentially a pump, cannot pump blood through the arteries and circulatory system to the other organs and tissues of the body.
Congestive heart failure, a worsening of this general condition, means that the blood flow from the heart through the arteries has decreased while the blood returning to the heart through the veins has started to back up and combine to cause congestion – a traffic jam – in the tissues of the body.
The result is edema, or swelling, usually in the legs and ankles, although edema can occur anywhere on the body. Heart failure also impairs the kidneys’ ability to eliminate water and sodium, causing even more swelling. When pulmonary edema occurs, fluid builds up in the lungs and interferes with breathing.
Conditions that can lead to heart failure include high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity and coronary artery disease: when plaque builds up on artery walls, causing them to narrow and make it harder for blood to pump.
Heart failure is a medical condition that needs to be treated to prevent a life-threatening heart attack, but it is not as immediately threatening as heart attack or cardiac arrest.
Source: CNN Brasil
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