What are the symptoms of myocardial infarction?
Source: Diana Hysi
Myocardial infarction (MI) or acute myocardial infarction (AMI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow stops to a part of the heart causing damage to the heart muscle.
Symptoms
The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort that may travel into the shoulder, arm, back, neck, or jaw. Often it is in the center or left side of the chest and lasts for more than a few minutes.
The discomfort may occasionally feel like heartburn.
Other symptoms may include:
- Shortness of breath
- Nausea
- Feeling faint
- A cold sweat, or feeling tired.
An MI may cause heart failure, an irregular heartbeat, cardiogenic shock, or cardiac arrest.
Most MIs occur due to coronary artery disease.
Risk factors include:
- High blood pressure
- Smoking
- Diabetes
- Lack of exercise
- Obesity
- High blood cholesterol
- Poor diet
- And excessive alcohol intake, among others.
Other Names for Coronary Heart Disease
- Atherosclerosis
- Coronary artery disease
- Hardening of the arteries
- Heart disease
- Ischemic (is-KE-mik) heart disease
- Narrowing of the arteries