All About Widow-Maker Heart-Attack And How You Can Prevent One

March 24, 2023 | 3 minutes read time

The "Widowmaker" is a fairly unpleasant word for a heart attack that primarily affects males - hence the "widow" bit - but also affects women. It is potentially fatal even when it targets seemingly healthy persons. Millions of people around the world have died as a result of a Widowmaker heart attack, and what's more concerning is that many of them had no prior symptoms at all.In the recent times we have been hearing in the news many famous celebrities who are very fit have suffered heart attack and could not be survived.

Those who do develop symptoms may include shortness of breath, nausea, headache, discomfort in the jaw, arms, or chest, and finger numbness. In many cases heart specialist have seen that people sometimes unfortunately misdiagnosed these symptoms as food poisoning or the flu.

So, how does it occur?

A widowmaker heart attack happens when one (or more) of the arteries that carry blood to the heart's thick cardiac muscle gets blocked. This affects the right and left anterior descending coronaries, which supply the front "wall" of the heart. The widowmaker heart attack occurs when this artery is completely or partially obstructed.

Plaque is a combination of cholesterol, white blood cells, and calcium that causes these blockages. When there is enough accumulation in the arteries, it prevents blood flow.

If blood flow is not restored in this vital artery within an hour or so, the heart muscle dies. In 98% of instances, these heart attacks are severe enough to cause death. Those who arrive at a hospital within 30 minutes after an attack have a better chance of surviving. Nevertheless, if blood supply to the artery is not rapidly restored through a surgical method known as a stent, it might create a huge scar that will irrevocably damage the heart muscle.

Prevention is the key to safety

As with most diseases of this type, avoiding the widowmaker heart attack is simpler than surviving it. You can avoid the widowmaker by making critical lifestyle adjustments (which we'll discuss in the later part of the blog), but the best practice is to have regular heart scans to determine your coronary calcium score. This test determines the quantity of calcium deposits in the heart, and a high result may suggest the presence of plaque build-up. Actually many persons who die from the widowmaker have low total cholesterol levels.

Calcium accumulation in the heart is an issue that can afflict otherwise healthy people who would not be associated with a risk of heart attack. Having this evaluated on a regular basis can help detect this particular heart-attack in advance.

Changes in Lifestyle

You may regulate your cholesterol levels by changing your diet and avoiding harmful habits. Thus, if you smoke, it's time to stop. Those who like a glass of wine or whiskey in the evening should limit their alcohol consumption to the suggested amounts.

Dietary modifications should be simple. Reducing your daily cholesterol intake will lessen the quantity of cholesterol in your blood. Reduce your consumption of saturated fats such as butter, ghee, lard, fatty meat and meat products, as well as full fat dairy products.

Most essential, remember to stay watchful and arrange frequent checkups with your heart specialist. The only effective protection against the Widowmaker is prevention. That's why we urge regular heart health screenings and consult a good heart specialist, because by the time you start experiencing signs of a heart attack, it may be too late!

If you require more information on widow maker heart attack condition please consult a leading heart specialist near you. Dr. Vanita Arora is a pioneer in giving world-class medical care to her patients and highly regarded as one of the best cardiologists in India. Dr Vanita has always promoted and continue to spread awareness on cardiac conditions and its prevention.