Heart attack is called as Myocardial Infarction in medical terminology. Heart is supplied by right and left coronary arteries. Whenever these arteries are blocked, blood supply to heart stops and wall of heart damages, result is Heart Attack with symptoms of severe constricting chest pain radiating to left arm jaw or shoulder, profuse sweating, vomiting, and feeling of anxiety. If the blood supply is cut off for more than a few minutes, muscle cells suffer permanent injury and die. This can kill or disable someone, depending on how much heart muscle is damaged.

There are 4 major risk factors which are responsible for this heart attack. What are those? Hypertension also called as High Blood Pressure, Hypercholesterolemia, Diabetes, and Smoking. In this article our main focus is High Blood Pressure. How does High blood pressure play role in causing Heart Attack. Remember, whenever coronary blood supply will be decreased or blocked, heart attack will take place. Arteries can be blocked by two different ways. Atherosclerosis and second cause is Artery spasm. Now lets discuss process of Atherosclerosis.

Atherosclerosis is a type of arteriosclerosis. The name comes from the Greek words athero (meaning gruel or paste) and sclerosis (hardness). It is a process of formation of plaque inside the wall of blood vessel. Plaque is collection of fatty substances, cholesterol, cellular waste products, calcium and fibrin (a clotting material in the blood). When person gets old, process of atherosclerosis starts. Thickening of blood vessels is called atherosclerosis. So far we have just talked about thickening of vessels. How vessels get block.

Now what next, plaque can undergo following changes. Either bleeding (hemorrhage) into the plaque , blood enters into wall of blood vessel, thus it gets more thickened and block the vessel or plaque gets damage and platelet(Cells which helps in clotting process) comes and aggregate on the plaque where it damages. Thus causing more narrowing of vessel. We were talking about blood pressure causing atherosclerosis. Yes, it is main risk factor. Actually it is high blood pressure which causes injury to these plaques, so after injury to these plaques, platelet comes to injured areas and further narrow the blood vessels.Because of the damage, over time fats, cholesterol, platelets, cellular debris and calcium are also deposited in the artery wall. These substances may stimulate the cells of the artery wall to produce still other substances like smooth muscles. This results in more cells accumulating in the innermost layer of the artery wall where the atherosclerotic lesions form. These cells accumulate, and many of them divide. At the same time, fat builds up within and around these cells. They also form connective tissue.

Atherosclerosis affects large and medium sized arteries. The type of artery and where the plaque develops varies with each person.Atherosclerosis is a slow, progressive disease that may start in children as well. In some people this disease progresses rapidly in their third decade. In others it doesn’t become threatening until they’re in their 50s or 60s.

If atherosclerosis takes place in heart vessels . oxygen supply to the heart muscles decreases, resulting in heart wall damage, called as Heart Attack.

Second cause of decreased blood supply is artery spasm. Sometimes a coronary artery temporarily contracts or goes into spasm. When this happens the artery narrows and blood flow to the heart muscle decreases or stops. A spasm can occur in normal-appearing blood vessels as well as in vessels partly blocked by atherosclerosis. A severe spasm can cause a heart attack.

So always keep your blood pressure under controlled limits, otherwise you can be a victim of Heart Attack.

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Digital blood pressure monitors, are great for taking your blood pressure. They are able to give digital results in about the same time, as if you were having you blood pressure taken manually by a person.

High blood pressure is one of those health oddities that you can have for several years and not even know you have it. So, what happens when you are diagnosed by the doctor as having high blood pressure or hypertension?

Are you looking for Blood Pressure Monitors? This article will give you comprehensive information about all types of blood pressure monitors.Taking your blood pressure and keeping a record of the measurements is important. It will give you and your doctor information, how much your blood pressure changes during the day. Blood pressure monitor is an important tool in tracking your blood pressure. It is important to keep track of your blood pressure to monitor your condition. Blood pressure monitor detects your both systolic and diastolic pressure. Having this kind of tool will help you understand more about the condition you are in and how these changes affect your daily activities.

Salt does Not Cause High Blood Pressure. Some things you need to know first to fully understand blood pressure, as well as helping you to understand about many other things in your body: The difference between average and normal.

In Chinese Medicine, many of the symptoms of high blood pressure, such as pounding headaches, dizziness, and pressure behind the eyes are often related to a pattern of Liver Yang Rising or Liver Heat. It is important to see a physician for proper diagnosis and supervision of high blood pressure, but acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine may also be useful for managing your condition. Certain herbs have been shown to have an anti-hypertensive effect. Certain other herbs have been shown to be useful for controlling cholesterol levels and improving cardiovascular function. Acupuncture has been shown to have a general relaxing effect which can be useful in stress related or essential hypertension. In addition, certain points are commonly used in the treatment of patterns that relate to high blood pressure.

Copyright 2006 Frank Mangano

Did you know that your trusted family doctor may be taking a shortcut during your office visits that might be putting your health at risk? I know it sounds hard to believe, but it’s true. As a result of trying to squeeze as many appointments as possible into their daily schedules, doctors sometimes skip vital steps during your physical exams.

Some of the drugs listed below can affect certain functions of the body, resulting in bad side effects. However, drugs that lower blood pressure have proven effective over the years. The benefits of using them far outweigh the risk of side effects. Most people who’ve taken these drugs haven’t had any problems.