Heart Attack vs Heart Failure: What Are The Key Differences? Expert Speaks!

Difference between Heart Attack And Heart Failure: Although they have different causes, symptoms, and treatments, the steps for preventing heart attack and heart failure are similar.

Heart Attack vs Heart Failure: Heart attack and heart failure are two serious medical conditions that impact the heart and can seriously affect your health if left untreated. However, they are not the same thing, and there are several key differences between the two conditions. Dr. Deepak Shejol, Interventional Cardiologist from Zynova Shalby Hospital spoke to india.com and reveal the differences between heart attacks and heart failure, plus health steps you can take to protect your heart.

What is Heart Attack?

A heart attack strikes when there is no adequate blood flow to the heart. This means that tissues present in the area aren’t getting the oxygen that they need to survive. Not treating it at the right time can lead to death. Did you know? A heart attack is called a myocardial infarction. Heart attack is not only limited to older people but even youngsters also suffer from it.

What is Heart Failure?

Heart failure is a condition in which the heart is not functioning properly. In other words, Heart failure is when the heart cannot effectively pump enough blood to the various parts of the body.

Causes of Heart Attack And Heart Failure

The causes of heart attack are

1. Stress
2. Lack of physical activity
3. poor eating habits
4. High blood pressure
5. Diabetes,
6. Autoimmune conditions
7. Coronary artery disease
8. A family history of a heart attack.

The causes of heart failure are

1. Heart valve damage
2. Sleep apnea
3. Diabetes
4. Blood clot in the lungs
5. Inflammation of the heart muscle
6. Smoking and alcohol

Treatment

The treatment for a heart attack will be an angioplasty to remove the blockages and restore the blood flow to the heart. To manage heart failure, medications, such as ACE inhibitors (to lower blood pressure and improve circulation), beta-blockers (to lower blood pressure and slow heart rate), and diuretics will be suggested to the patient.

Tips to keep heart problems at bay: It is better to take care of the heart and lead a healthy life. For that, you should stay physically active, eat a well-balanced diet highly enriched with vitamins and minerals, stay stress-free, quit smoking or alcohol, maintain a balance body weight, keep blood sugar levels and blood pressure within the normal range and go for regular check-ups and follow-ups.