Heart Attack Essay

The heart is a large, hollow organ made of muscle that has four chambers: 2 upper chambers and 2 lower chambers. The upper chambers take in blood, while the lower chambers pump out blood through your whole body. A network of arteries and veins help to carry the blood throughout your body. Your heartbeat is controlled by an internal electrical system that sends signals from the right upper chamber to the left upper chamber, and then down to the lower chambers. Sometimes the heart can develop problems that prevent it from working properly. One example is a heart attack, which you suffered. This pamphlet will explain the factors that led to the heart attack, and what changes you can make in your lifestyle to prevent another heart attack. One factor that can cause a heart attack is high blood pressure. This condition occurs because of fatty substances building up in your arteries. As more fat builds up, the artery gets blocked, reducing the blood that can flow through it. This reduced blood flow causes the heart to not get enough oxygen, causing the heart attack to occur. A second factor is cholesterol. There is good cholesterol and bad cholesterol. When you have a very high level of bad cholesterol in your blood, it leads to a build up of plaque in your arteries. This build up can lead to blockage and hardening of your arteries. A third factor is smoking. Smoking increases the rate of your heartbeat, causes your blood vessels to become too narrow, and can lead to high blood pressure. The carbon monoxide inhaled while smoking reduces the oxygen in the blood. All these things make the heart work harder to pump blood through the body. The factors leading to your heart attack, artery blockage and fat accumulation, were corrected. The blocked artery was opened up through the insertion of a balloon, which expanded the artery to allow for easier blood flow. As for the fat accumulation, that can be reduced through changes in your diet. These diet changes can be discussed with your doctor during your next visit. The ultimate goal is to reduce the chance of another heart attack.