What causes a heart attack?

What is a heart attack?

It is usually described as a myocardial infarction, caused by a blockage of the bloodstream in one of the branches of the two coronary arteries that supply blood to the heart muscle.

The heart is a pump that requires a continuous supply of oxygenated blood to provide the muscles with nutrients responsible for their work. Any lack of blood supply (ischemia) interferes with the function of the heart muscle and may lead to the death of muscle tissue (myocardial infarction).

The heart muscle has the ability to repair itself, provided that the supply of oxygenated blood quickly returns to normal with appropriate treatment.

A major coronary artery blockage occurs when blood (which does not clot normally) is forced to clot because the artery has become narrowed.

The main cause of artery stenosis is a disease called atherosclerosis (atherosclerosis), a process in which a fatty substance containing cholesterol (plaque) deposits and accumulates along the walls of the artery.