Causes

Causes of heart attack

Over time, cholesterol buildup can occur in these blood vessels in the form of plaque. This narrows the artery and can restrict the amount of blood that can flow through it. If the artery becomes too narrow, it cannot supply enough blood to the heart muscle when it becomes stressed. Just like arm muscles that begin to hurt if you lift too much, or legs that ache when you run too fast; the heart muscle will ache if it doesn't get adequate blood supply. This ache is called angina.

If the plaque ruptures, a small blood clot can form within the blood vessel and acutely block the blood flow. When that part of the heart loses its blood supply completely, the muscle dies. This is called a heart attack, or an MI - a myocardial infarction (myo=muscle +cardial=heart; infarction=death due to lack of oxygen).

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What is heart attack

A heart attack occurs when blood flow to a section of heart muscle becomes blocked. If the flow of blood isn’t restored quickly, the section of heart muscle becomes damaged from lack of oxygen and begins to die.

Heart attack is a leading killer of both men and women in the United States. But fortunately, today there are excellent treatments for heart attack that can save lives and prevent disabilities. Treatment is most effective when started within 1 hour of the beginning of symptoms. If you think you or someone you’re with is having a heart attack, call 9–1–1 right away.

Heart With Muscle Damage and a Blocked Artery

Figure A is an overview of a heart and coronary artery showing damage (dead heart muscle) caused by a heart attack. Figure B is a cross-section of the coronary artery with plaque buildup and a blood clot.

During a heart attack, if the blockage in the coronary artery isn’t treated quickly, the heart muscle will begin to die and be replaced by scar tissue. This heart damage may not be obvious, or it may cause severe or long-lasting problems.

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Symptoms

Symptoms of throat cancer

Unfortunately, some of the early symptoms of throat cancer are fairly general and, therefore, can easily be confused for some other condition or illness. Some of the common symptoms associated with throat cancer include:

• chronic earaches
• chronic sore throat
• difficulty speaking
• enlarged lymph nodes
• feelings of numbness in the face
• hoarse voice
• pain when swallowing
• visible sores in the mouth or on the tongue.

Although some may write off these symptoms as a simple sore throat, the flu or even a serious case of the common cold, the key difference between milder conditions and the presence of throat cancer is how long these symptoms last. Chronic or persisting cases of these symptoms can indicate throat cancer.

As a result, if you suffer from any combination of these symptoms, seek medical attention. While you may not have throat cancer, medical attention is necessary to rule out a potentially serious underlying cause.

If you do suffer from throat cancer, early diagnosis of the condition is essential to getting the best results from treatment options. Thus, it is important to understand the symptoms of throat cancer.

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