Thursday, October 19, 2023
The quick answer is
‘no’, but let us understand this a little further. Heart attack, in the true
sense, happens when blood flow to the heart muscle is interrupted. Causes of Heart Attack can be grouped into three discrete scenarios, as explained below:
1. Blockages due to
cholesterol deposit: This is the most common cause of heart attack, accounting
for almost 90% or more of all heart attacks. Circulating cholesterol in our
blood gets deposited within the inner linings of the blood vessels causing
narrowing, a process known as atherosclerosis. Such narrowing, if severe
enough, can lead to a compromise in the blood flow to the heart causing a heart
attack. Atherosclerosis happens over the years and typically does not cause
problem at younger age (males below age 50 years, or females below 60 years).
Few of us are more likely to develop early atherosclerosis due to risk factors
like genetic predisposition, smoking, poor lifestyle, Diabetes, high
cholesterol, mental stress etc. In the absence of risk factors, the likelihood
of having an atherosclerosis-related heart attack is exceedingly low at young
age.
2. Blockages due to
non-atherosclerosis: There are a few uncommon causes of blockages where
cholesterol does not seem to play any role. These can be due to disruption in
the smooth inner lining of the blood vessel (called ‘erosion’, typically seen
in smokers), a tear within the walls of the blood vessel (called ‘dissection’),
certain immunological diseases that affect blood vessels (called ‘arteritis’),
infections, blood clot etc. Since these issues can occur at any age, a heart
attack for the reasons above can occur at any age. We had seen a higher
incidence of heart attacks during COVID-19 infection, which were thought to be due
to blood clot formation.
3. Birth defects of the
blood vessels: In rare cases, a birth defect where blood vessels may not be of
appropriate size or may not follow a normal course, can lead to compromised
blood flow to the heart. These abnormalities are present since birth and may
cause a heart attack at a very young age.