Guide To Heart Attack Causes And Risk Factors

A heart attack is when the heart's blood supply becomes obstructed or blocked. This occurs due to plaque or blood clot forming and stopping the blood from flowing any further into the affected coronary artery. The muscle cells that make up the heart require a constant supply of oxygen to operate and survive. A blood flow obstruction in a coronary artery causes the part of the heart it supplies to experience ischemia, where the cells that make up the heart muscles are deprived of nutrients and oxygen. With ischemia, cells begin to die in large numbers and cause entire tissues to die. When a part of an affected individual's heart muscle dies or becomes damaged due to ischemia, it is considered a heart attack.