Signs and symptoms of a heart attack in men

Symptoms of a heart attack in a man occur as a result of the death of heart cells due to blockage of one of the coronary vessels by a thrombus.
In the absence of nutrients and oxygen enrichment, heart cells die.

The first symptoms of a heart attack

If you treat your health with respect, then you can find out about the possibility of developing a heart attack (preinfarction) in advance by the initial symptoms, which are called precursors.

1. First of all, these are sharp pressing (aching) pains in the chest, left arm or shoulder blade, during physical activity of a person.
2. The development of shortness of breath.
3. The presence of a state of oxygen deficiency in a patient (the patient is suffocating).

Causes of the disease

You need to sound the alarm and run to a cardiologist when the first signs appear, in addition, if a person is at risk, then an annual examination is necessary.

Risk groups: people who have relatives in the first and second line with heart disease, patients with atherosclerosis or diabetes mellitus, as well as patients with hypertension of the 3rd risk group.

Timely medical care not provided in the development of a heart attack can lead to the development of coronary heart disease and stroke.

Even 10 years ago, the statistics of monitoring myocardial infarction in men had an age criterion from 50 to 60 years, and today in most cases from 40 to 50.

This process of "rejuvenation" of the disease is caused by a number of reasons:

• excessive passion for bad habits (alcohol and smoking);
• frequent consumption of fatty, fried, smoked and spicy foods;
• neglect of one's own health.

The lack of treatment of certain diseases at an early stage, entails their transfer to the category of chronic:

• the presence of diabetes mellitus;
• improper metabolism in the body, which contributes to obesity;
• the presence of arterial hypertension;
• the presence of atherosclerosis;
• blood clotting disorder;
• elevated levels of cholesterol in the blood;
• lack of physical activity of a person.

The more of the above reasons correspond to the lifestyle and health status of a man, the higher the risk of developing a heart attack.

Primary symptoms and signs of a pre-infarction condition

There may be the following symptoms of a heart attack in a man:

• pain in the left arm, neck, toothache;
• spasmolytic chest pain (periodic);
• lack of oxygen (a sign of suffocation);
• general sluggish state of the body (similar to the state of influenza);
• lowering blood pressure;
• from the side of the heart, arrhythmia is observed (without special physical exertion);
• the presence of heavy sweating.

One of the main signs of a heart attack is a sharp pain of a pressing character behind the sternum, which tends to radiate to the left upper part of the body, namely the shoulder blade, arm and neck.

There are cases of involvement of the right side, but they are very rare.

The painful state of the body can be calculated in minutes or hours, very rarely days.

In addition to the main feature, there are others:

• numbness of the chest and left upper body;
• a state of nausea, sometimes accompanied by vomiting;
• throws the patient into a cold sweat;
• the presence of weakness in the whole body;
• the presence of arrhythmic work of the heart.

As a rule, with myocardial infarction, the patient's blood pressure can either increase or remain within the normal range.

The first day there is always an increase in pressure to 190/100 in people who do not suffer from hypertension. In the next two days there is a drop in pressure. On the 4th day of a heart attack, the pressure begins to rise again, but no longer reaches the level of the first day.

For the state of blood pressure during a heart attack, doctors monitor strictly so as not to complicate the situation.

Symptoms of a disease on the legs

After suffering a heart attack on the legs (in cases where the signs were not pronounced), a person should be immediately sent to the hospital for a medical examination.

Especially when the following symptoms appear:

• pulmonary edema occurs;
• a sharp drop in blood pressure;
• pallor of the skin;
• violation of heart rhythms.

First aid

With the manifestation of symptoms of a heart attack, a person needs to urgently provide first aid.

First aid for signs of a heart attack in men is as follows:

1. Release the chest (remove the tie and unbutton the shirt).
2. Place a nitroglycerin tablet under the tongue.
3. Lay the patient on a hard surface and ensure his peace until the ambulance arrives.
4. Provide fresh air (open windows and doors).
5. Call an ambulance.
6. With high blood pressure, it is allowed to give only 1/2 of an analgin tablet.
7. After 5 minutes, if the ambulance has not arrived, give a second tablet of nitroglycerin, after making sure that the pressure is not too low.

Upon arrival of the ambulance, collect all the necessary documents of the patient and accompany him to the hospital department.

In many ways, the consequences after a massive heart attack in men depend on his lifestyle and bad habits, the reluctance to give up which can lead to a second heart attack or death.

In addition, the following effects may be observed:

• development of pathology of heart failure;
• pulmonary edema;
• rupture of cardiac muscle tissue.

Prevention or how to prevent the disease

The development of a heart attack can be prevented:

1. It is necessary to reconsider your lifestyle, give up bad habits.
2. Eat properly.
3. Ensure peace of the nervous system (avoid stress and depression).
4. Monitor physical activity (balance work and rest).
5. Go in for sports, according to the level of physical fitness and the recommendations of the cardiologist.
6. Visits to health resorts.

The presence of a proper balanced diet contributes to a faster recovery:

1. Refusal of all fats of animal origin, fats of vegetable origin (refined oils) are allowed.
2. It is allowed to use low-fat cottage cheese for food (daily rate is not more than 200 grams).
3. Lean poultry and seafood should be steamed or boiled.
4. Fresh fruits and juices should be included in the patient's daily diet.
5. Eat foods high in cholesterol with caution.
6. Salt intake is strictly limited (daily intake is 5 grams).
7. Refusal of all types of smoked, fried, salty and spicy foods, as well as alcohol, coffee and caffeine-containing products.

Medical treatment of this disease

Treatment of myocardial infarction consists in prescribing and taking medications.

It consists of several stages:

• elimination of pain syndrome;
• localization of the lesion;
• elimination of consequences and relief of the patient's condition.

1. Nitrates will help eliminate pain in the heart area, improve blood circulation, expand blood vessels and reduce the load on the heart organ. Nitroglycerin, isosorbitol, mononitrate.
2. Painkillers are used to localize the pain syndrome. To achieve a quick effect, narcotic analgesics are used.
3. Thrombolytics are capable of activating blood flow to the heart and breaking down blood clots.
4. For resorption and removal of blood clots, blood thinning, anticoagulants and antithrombotic drugs are prescribed. These include acetylsalicylic acid, heparin, clopidogrel, warfarin.
5. Beta-blockers will help reduce the load on the heart organ and normalize biochemical processes: Coreg, Toprol, Inderal. They are taken in small quantities, gradually increasing the dosage.
6. ACE inhibitors help relax the blood vessels and increase the release of blood from the heart. These include: capoten, altas, prinivil.
7. Normalizes heart rhythm, relaxes vascular muscles calcium antagonists: sea otter, cardin, norvask.
8. Statins, niacins, fibrates will help reduce the level of bad cholesterol.

Help of folk remedies

For the prevention and treatment of the consequences of myocardial infarction, various folk methods and means are used: herbal medicine, treatment with cereals and food.

1. Phytotherapy is the use of herbal medicines that have a beneficial effect on the functioning of the heart. Their effect is aimed at eliminating spasms of blood vessels, removing excess fluid, normalizing blood pressure, and reducing the amount of cholesterol. Such plants include hawthorn, motherwort, mountain arnica, corn stigmas, calendula, valerian.

Hawthorn infusion consists of a tablespoon of fruits and a glass of boiled water. The drink should be infused for at least half an hour, and consumed in the morning and in the evening for half a glass.

For a tincture of strawberries and rose hips, you will need 50 leaves and fruits of these plants. Prepared raw materials must be boiled in 500 ml of water on a steam bath for a quarter of an hour. Then boiled water must be added to the filtered medicine to get the initial volume. Drink 2 times a day before meals for 0.5 cups.

1. Treatment with cereals consists in eating sprouted grains of wheat, barley, rye. The grain must first be disinfected with a 25% manganese solution and doused with boiling water. For germination, the grain should be placed in a container with a volume of 500 ml and completely filled with water. After 10 days, when the raw material absorbs air and water, it must be laid out on a flat surface on which a damp cloth is placed. On top of the grain should be covered with wet gauze. After 2 days, the size of the sprout will reach 1 cm and they are ready for consumption.
2. Some foods contain substances that restore and strengthen the cardiovascular system. Vegetable oils, nuts, honey can expand blood vessels and improve blood supply to the heart.

To prepare the medicine, you need to combine 100 g of chopped walnuts and 2 tablespoons of honey. The mixture should be consumed within 1 day.

Consequences of extensive myocardial infarction in men

There are acute and long-term consequences of extensive myocardial infarction. The acute ones are:

1. Heart failure. A heart attack damages the left side of the heart. As a result, this area is poorly reduced due to the appearance of a scar. The emission of blood decreases, its stagnation and poor blood supply to the internal organs occur.
2. Pulmonary edema. As a result of the disease, shortness of breath develops, a cough appears.
3. Arrhythmia. Occurs in the left stomach of the heart, there is a blockage of the legs of the Gus bundle and fibrillation of the cardiac ventricles.
4. Thrombosis. Blood clots are carried throughout the body to the brain, which is the main cause of ischemia.
5. Heartbreak. It occurs as a result of increased blood pressure on the damaged heart muscle.

Long-term effects are characterized by less devastating consequences for the body. These include:

1. Cardiosclerosis. It occurs as a result of poor blood circulation.
2. Left ventricular failure. The main signs of this pathology are cardiac asthma and impaired circulation.
3. Arrhythmia. There can be two types of atrioventricular, sinoatrial blockade.
4. Pericarditis. It is an inflammatory process of the serous membrane of the cardiac organ.

Cardiac aneurysm, postinfarction syndrome, thromboendocarditis, neurotrophic changes in the myocardium may also develop. Such consequences can cause further blood clots, the work of the cardiovascular system worsens, and the risk of heart rupture increases.

Sample menu for a week after a heart attack in men

You can restore vitality after an illness, fill the body with vitamins and microelements with the help of food. Men are encouraged to eat foods that can reduce the amount of bad cholesterol.

When compiling a diet, you should follow some rules:

• the amount of fat in food should be minimal;
• include seafood in the menu;
• use olive oil for cooking;
• eat more vegetables and fruits;
• do not use butter;
• reduce the amount of salt and fatty acids.

Dietary nutrition for a heart attack consists of 3 stages:

1. acute period.
2. Subacute period.
3. Scarring days.

In the first 2 weeks, it is recommended to eat easily digestible food: fermented milk products, low-fat soups, boiled vegetables, liquid boiled porridge. During this period, it is necessary to completely exclude salt, fatty, fried, smoked foods, flour products, sweets from the diet. The diet for men should consist of low-calorie foods: mashed fruits and vegetables, light cereals, tea, honey.

In the subacute period, it is forbidden to use: tea and coffee, spices, chocolate, alcohol, butter. The basis of dietary nutrition are fruits and cereals.

During the scarring period, the diet should consist of carbohydrates and protein, fatty foods and salt should be excluded.

In the daily menu, you can include fruits, dried fruits, green salads, lean meats and fish, vegetable puree, rice, cottage cheese, seafood, rosehip broth. During this period, it is necessary to increase the calorie content of the diet to 2200 kcal per day, and reduce the number of meals up to 4 times. To normalize metabolic processes in the body, you should drink clean water at least 1.5 liters per day.