The news about young people dying of heart attacks hit the headlines time and again in the last few years. Unfortunately, another celebrity has lost his life to a heart attack. Anil Kadsur, a Bengaluru-based cyclist, died on Friday morning due to a heart attack. He recently celebrated a milestone for completing 42 months of 100 KM rides standing at a total number of about 1,250 rides. Though the reason for his heart attack is unknown, here are symptoms, and causes you should not take lightly.  
 

Heart attack symptoms

A heart attack happens when the flow of blood and oxygen to your heart is blocked, causing the death of heart muscle tissue. Heart attack symptoms can vary from person to person. A heart attack feels like intense chest pain, the kind where someone is squeezing your chest really hard, or you're carrying a heavy weight on it. You could have this pain for a bit.

Take a look at the symptoms below:

Discomfort, pressure, heaviness, tightness, squeezing, or pain in your chest, arm, or below your breastbone
Discomfort that goes into your back, jaw, throat, or arm
Fullness, indigestion, or a choking feeling (it may feel like heartburn)
Sweating, upset stomach, vomiting, or dizziness
Serious weakness, anxiety, fatigue, or shortness of breath
Fast or uneven heartbeat (heart palpitations)

Facts about heart attacks

More than a million Americans have heart attacks each year. It happens every 40 seconds to someone in the U.S., according to the CDC. Heart attacks happen to both men and women and those assigned male and female at birth.

Heart attack vs cardiac arrest: A sudden cardiac arrest is actually not a heart attack. Heart attacks happen to both men and women and those assigned male and female at birth. Although they are more likely as you get old, there are many risk factors—including high blood pressure, high levels of LDL (“bad”) cholesterol, diabetes, and whether you smoke—that you can change.

Causes of heart attack

The heart muscle needs a steady supply of oxygen-rich blood to function properly. The coronary arteries are responsible for providing this essential blood supply to the heart. However, when you develop coronary artery disease, these arteries become narrow, making it difficult for the blood to flow through them. As a result, your heart does not receive enough blood, which can lead to a heart attack if the blood supply is completely blocked. Fatty deposits, calcium, proteins, and inflammatory cells accumulate in arteries to form hard, outer plaques with soft, mushy interiors.

Heart attack risk factors

Lots of things can raise your chances of having a heart attack; some you can avoid, and others you can’t. Take a look below:

Lifestyle: Certain lifestyle habits, such as smoking, alcohol consumption, drug use, and lack of exercise, can increase the risk of a heart attack.

Sex and age: As you age, your likelihood of experiencing a heart attack increases. Generally, men and individuals assigned male at birth have a higher risk of heart attack at the age of 45. In contrast, women and individuals assigned female at birth have a higher risk of heart attack at the age of 50 or when menopause starts.

Illness: Certain health conditions such as high blood pressure, unhealthy eating habits, diabetes, and obesity can strain your heart and increase the risk of a heart attack.

Overweight or obesity: Carrying extra weight is another risk factor tied to heart attacks.