Understanding Health, Heart Attacks, and Risk Factors

Understanding Health and Well-being

Health is a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease.

Health depends on individual lifestyle and personal behavior, including physical activity, environmental and social factors such as climate and pollution, and genetic information.

Myocardial Infarction (Heart Attack)

When blood flow through a vessel of the heart is blocked, blood stops flowing to an area of heart muscle, halting the supply of oxygen and nutrients. This leads to muscle tissue death and permanent heart damage. If the blockage is partial and reduces blood flow, it causes a sharp pain known as angina.

Symptoms of a Heart Attack

Symptoms start with pain or discomfort in the center of the chest, which may radiate to the left shoulder, arms, back, elbows, and jaw. Other symptoms include difficulty breathing, nausea, dizziness, and sweating.

Causes of Myocardial Infarction

Myocardial infarction is due to the obstruction of the coronary artery branches by lipid deposits in the artery walls. Fatty plaques narrow the lumen of the artery, making its wall rough and rigid, which can lead to the formation of blood clots that clog the vessels.

Risk Factors

A risk factor is any circumstance or situation that increases the probability of an event.

Epidemiology

Epidemiology is the branch of medicine that studies the distribution and causes of disease and is the basis of preventive medicine.

Systolic Blood Pressure

Systolic blood pressure is the maximum pressure in the artery wall when the heart contracts and pushes blood throughout the body.

Diet and Nutrition

Diet refers to all the food we eat daily. A healthy diet provides all sorts of nutrients in adequate amounts to keep our bodies healthy and maintain a healthy weight.

Obesity

Obesity is excess body fat caused by excessive intake of energy-rich foods associated with a sedentary lifestyle.

BMI (Body Mass Index) = weight in kg / height squared (m²)

Benefits of Physical Activity

Physical activity provides benefits to the body because it:

• Strengthens the heart muscles and bones
• Increases the supply of oxygen to the body
• Helps lose weight and reduce stress and tension
• Reduces the amount of sugar and lipids in the blood
• Improves circulation

The Dangers of Nicotine and Smoking

Nicotine is an addictive drug found in tobacco. It contracts and hardens the arteries and elevates blood pressure. Carbon monoxide is a toxic gas produced by the combustion of tobacco, which reduces the ability of red blood cells to carry oxygen. Tar is a viscous mixture of chemical substances that accumulate in the lungs, and some are suspected to be carcinogenic.

Smoke contains numerous chemical substances that damage the lungs, blood vessels, and heart.