WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE?

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN A HEART ATTACK AND CARDIAC ARREST

People often confuse a heart attack and cardiac arrest. Here are ways to tell them apart. 

What is a heart attack?

When there is a blockage in the coronary arteries that supply oxygen to the heart, the heart muscles begin to die. 

What is a cardiac arrest? 

In the case of a cardiac arrest, the heart actually stops beating, unlike during a heart attack where the heart continues to beat. 

Symptoms 

Symptoms of a heart attack include chest pain, wheezing, dizziness and shortness of breath among others.

Symptoms of a cardiac arrest include a sudden loss of consciousness with no breathing and no pulse. 

Causes 

A cardiac arrest can be caused due to abnormal heart rhythms, pacemaker failure, choking, drowning or a heart attack among others. 

Heart attacks are caused by coronary heart disease. People at risk to CHD include smokers, people with high blood pressure, diabetes and other conditions.