Heart attack and stroke

Most heart attacks happen when a clot in the coronary artery blocks the supply of blood and oxygen to the heart. Often this leads to an irregular heartbeat called an arrhythmia, which causes a severe decrease in the pumping function of the heart. A blockage that is not treated within a few hours causes the affected heart muscles to die.

A stroke happens when the blood supply to part of the brain is cut off by a blockage or a bleed. When the blood supply is interrupted, the brain doesn’t get the oxygen it needs and brain cells begin to shut down and die. Dead brain cells do not recover. Because the brain controls everything we do, feel, think and remember, damage to the brain affects these abilities. The abilities that are affected will depend on where the stroke happens in the brain and what that part of the brain controls.

Being overweight is a risk factor for high blood pressure, heart disease and diabetes, all of which increase your risk of heart attack and stroke.