I Got….Myocardial Infarction

1. My initial response was to laugh because it is not a diagnosis that I thought I would ever hear. I am very slender and athletic and my cholesterol levels are all well under control. I do know that to get to the point of an MI, means that I more than likely have arteries full of plaque which ultimately leads to a sudden and extended obstruction of blood supple to myocardial tissue. My brain is already spinning in curiosity of the severity of ischemia in my left ventricle. What is even more scary to me, as a woman, is the higher risk of silent ischemia in women. Silent ischemia doesn’t produce any symptoms when the heart experiences ischemic events. So I guess after the shock wears off, that is when the “oh shit” moment is about to happen. 2. Myocardial Infarction(MI) is also known as a heart attack. MI results when the flow of oxygen rich blood to a myocardium suddenly becomes blocked. If blood flow is not restored quickly, this results in cellular death by necrosis or apoptosis. Acute MI is an important form of Coronary Heart Disease (CHD). MI can occur at any age, but the risk of frequency raises with age progression. It is estimated that MI causes more than 150,000 deaths annually in the US. The American male has a greater than 1 in 5 chance of sustaining an MI or fatal ischemic event before the age of 65. Females that are younger than 45 have a 6 fold lesser risk of MI than men of the same age, however after menopause the rate becomes essentially equal by age 80. The initiating event is the development of a thrombus on top of an ulcerated or cracked atherosclerotic plaque which causes a sudden change in the structure of the plaque. As platelets pass by the surface of the ruptured plaque, they adhere to it. This initiates the formation of a platelet plug and activates the clotting cascade. The thrombus continues to grow