Heart Attack Law & Legal Definition
A heart attack occurs when an area of heart muscle dies or is permanently damaged because of a lack of oxygen to that area. Heart attacks are most often caused by a clot that blocks one of the coronary arteries. The clot usually forms in a coronary artery that has been previously narrowed from changes related to atherosclerosis. The atherosclerotic plaque inside the arterial wall sometimes cracks, and leads to the formation of a clot. Heart attacks may also be caused by sudden and extreme stress. A heart attack is also called a myocardial infarction.
Some of the risk factors for coronary artery disease and heart attack include:
- Smoking
- High blood pressure
- Too much fat in your diet
- Poor blood cholesterol levels, especially high LDL ("bad") cholesterol and low HDL ("good") cholesterol
- Diabetes
- Male gender
- Age
- Heredity
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