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Showing posts from April, 2016

Mild and Massive Heart Attacks: What's the Difference?

When you think about a massive heart attack, you probably imagine someone who suddenly clutches their chest and collapses. This is not always the scenario, even with a large heart attack. Although some heart attacks are more dramatic than others, a heart attack is always serious. Whether a heart attack is mild or severe, you can improve your odds of living the longest, healthiest life possible if you know what to do. What Causes Heart Attacks? All heart attacks occur when circulation of blood to the heart is blocked. If the blockage is not rapidly opened, heart tissue will die from a lack of oxygen. Most often, a heart attack, also called myocardial infarction (MI), is a result of coronary heart disease (CHD). Coronary heart disease is a narrowing of the coronary arteries, which bring blood into the heart muscle. Coronary heart disease is most often caused by atherosclerosis, a buildup of fatty plaque on the artery walls. Narrowed coronary arteries reduce bl