What is a Heart Attack?
A heart attack is a medical emergency in which the supply of blood to the heart is suddenly blocked, which can seriously damage the heart muscles. If left untreated the heart muscles will start to die.
Most heart attacks happen in sufferers of coronary heart disease, who have hardened and narrowed coronary arteries.
People who smoke, eat a high-fat diet, have diabetes and are overweight or obese are more at risk of suffering from a heart attack.
How common is a Heart Attack?
Heart attacks are one of the leading causes of death in England, and around 111,000 people have a heart attack each year. Most heart attacks happens over the age of 45, and men are 2 to 3 times more likely to have a heart attack than women.
What are the symptoms of a Heart Attack?
The symptoms of a heart attack include chest pain, pain in other parts of the body (usually the left arm), shortness of breath, nausea, anxiety and feeling lightheaded. The level of pain can vary between people.
How is a Heart Attack treated?
Medication is often used to dissolve the blood clot and restore the flow of blood to the heart. Surgery can also be carried out to widen the coronary artery.
The most important thing after a suffering a heart attack is changing your lifestyle- stopping smoking, reducing your blood pressure if it is high, doing more exercise and improving your diet.
If you are mainly concerned about the high costs of being in hospital, choose a policy with full in patient and day patient treatment costs covered.