Types of Heart Attacks

A heart attack is a sudden drop in the blood supply to part of your heart muscle. It happens when something blocks the flow of blood to a coronary artery, which nourishes your heart muscle (your heart's electrical system).

A blockage in a coronary artery is usually caused by atherosclerosis. This is a build-up of cholesterol and other materials on the inner walls of your coronary arteries. The fatty materials can break off and form a blood clot, which blocks the coronary artery.

It's important to get treatment quickly. medical alarms nz This can reduce the amount of damage to your heart muscle and save your life.

personal medical alarm Risk factors for heart attacks include high cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes and smoking. Other factors that may increase your risk are genetics, family history of heart disease and certain medications.

Your age and gender can also affect your risk of a heart attack. Men age 45 and older, and women age 55 and older, are more likely to have a heart attack than younger men and women.

Types of Heart Attacks

There are six distinct types of heart attacks. They all differ by the way they impact your body and by how much damage they cause.





The most common type of heart attack is a blockage in an artery that supplies the heart (known as coronary artery disease, or CAD). This happens when a plaque in your artery breaks off and causes a blood clot to form.