Treatment, Causes, Signs and Symptoms, and Complications of Myocardial Infarction

Myocardial Infarction
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Myocardial Infarction
Myocardial infarction (MI) refers to a heart-attack event resulting from plaque formation in the inner arterial walls to cause a declined blood flow to cardiac muscles due to insufficient oxygen supply (Graham, 2016). Patients present with chest pain, fatigue, nausea, and anomalous heartbeats. Emergency treatment of MI involves aspirin administration to prevent blood clotting and chest pain treatment with nitro-glycerin. This paper discusses the causes and risk factors of myocardial infarction, pathophysiology, clinical manifestations, and diagnostic tests of the disease.
The most common causes of MI include genetic factors, diet and lifestyle, aging, and many other risk factors usually associated with coronary artery disease (CAD). For instance, individuals with a family history of MI are more likely to suffer from MI and the accumulation of trans fats increases the chances of MI. Some gene variants have also been found to increase the risks of MI especially PCSK9 and CDKN2A (Mechanic & Gross, 2019). Individuals who smoke and those with diabetes, hypertension, and accumulated cholesterol are more likely to suffer from MI.
MI and CAD are common among individuals aged over 55 years although women are more likely to suffer from other comorbidities than their male counterparts such as diabetes and hypertension (Graham, 2016). Women present differences in relation to MI and tend to suffer more compared to men when it comes to comorbidities such as diabetes, obesity, and hypertension to an extent that they present with atypical symptoms of MI
Exposure to cold temperatures and air pollution has been linked to increased risks for MI (Claeys, Rajagopalan, Nawrot, & Brook, 2016). Claeys et al (2016) observe that while low levels of environmental exposures may have fairly insignificant effects on healthy populations, such exposures may act as triggers in vulnerable individuals such as the elderly or those with diabetes.
The prevalence of MI among individuals with a family history of the disease and CAD suggests the central role genes play in MI development. Lifestyle influences such as tobacco use, diet, and lack of physical activities increase plasma triglycerides (TG) which is one of the leading risk factors for MI and CAD.
MI results from an acute decline in blood flow to the myocardium due to vulnerable plaque rupture with the formation of a thrombus. This decline causes an imbalance in oxygen demand and supply and a sudden myocardial tissue ischemic death (Mechanic & Gross, 2019). Prolonged events of myocardial ischemia trigger cardiomyocyte death, which spreads to the subepicardium from subendocardium. There are a number of mitochondrial alterations during cardiomyocyte necrosis and apo...