The most common cause of a heart attack is sudden narrowing or blockage of a coronary artery, which blocks oxygen to the heart. This can happen when plaque in the coronary artery breaks and a blood clot forms in the artery.
Plaques are covered by a fibrous cap. If a sudden surge in blood pressure occurs, if the artery suddenly constricts, or if something else such as inflammation is present, the fibrous cap can tear or rupture. The body tries to repair the tear-much as it does to stop the bleeding from a cut on the skin-by forming a blood clot over it. The blood clot can completely block blood flow through the coronary artery to the heart muscle. This will cause a heart attack.
Sometimes a blood clot that forms over a ruptured plaque may not completely block the artery. But the clot may block blood flow enough to cause unstable angina. Unstable angina is a sign that a heart attack may soon follow, because the blood clot can quickly grow and block the artery. If the blood clot dissolves and an immediate heart attack is avoided, the body will try again over time to repair the tear on the surface of the plaque. But this newly repaired plaque can also be very unstable. It is more likely to rupture again, putting you at even greater risk of a heart attack.
ByHealthwise Staff Primary Medical ReviewerRakesh K. Pai, MD, FACC - Cardiology, Electrophysiology Specialist Medical ReviewerStephen Fort, MD, MRCP, FRCPC - Interventional Cardiology
Current as ofMarch 12, 2014
WebMD Medical Reference from Healthwise
March 12, 2014
This information is not intended to replace the advice of a doctor.
Healthwise disclaims any liability for the decisions you make based on this