Introduction – A heart attack occurs in an individual when the flow of blood to the heart is blocked and sudden cardiac arrest occurs in a person when the heart fails and stops beating suddenly. The main important difference between heart attack and cardiac arrest is heart attack is a circulation problem and sudden cardiac arrest is an electrical problem.

Heart attack – A heart attack occurs when any part of the heart muscle does not get a sufficient amount of blood. If not treated this problem, then it can more damage to the heart muscle. Coronary artery disease (CAD) is one of the main causes of a heart attack. The symptoms of heart attack can be more intense and immediate. Before the heart attack, symptoms begin slowly and persist for hours days, or weeks. As compared with sudden cardiac arrest, the heart does not stop beating during a heart attack. The symptoms of a heart attack in women can be different than in men.

Cardiac arrest – Sudden cardiac arrest occurs abruptly without warning and is triggered by an electrical malfunction in the heart, which causes an irregular heartbeat (arrhythmia). Due to the pumping action being disrupted, the heart cannot pump blood to the lungs, brain, and other several organs. So, an individual loses consciousness with no pulse. During cardiac arrest, death occurs within minutes if a patient does not receive treatment.

Link between sudden cardiac arrest and heart attack – Sudden cardiac arrest is linked with a heart attack and may occur after a heart attack or during recovery. Heart attacks enhance the risk of sudden cardiac arrest for an individual. Most of the heart attacks do not cause sudden cardiac arrest but if sudden cardiac arrest occurs, a heart attack is a major cause. Some other heart problems that can also disrupt the rhythm of the heart and cause sudden cardiac arrests such as heart failure, thickened heart muscle, and many more.

Symptoms – There are several symptoms of heart attack and sudden cardiac arrest are given below –

Heart attack symptoms – Several symptoms of heart attack are given below –

• Chest pain
• Problem in breathing
• Nausea
• Cold sweats
• Fatigue
• Sudden dizziness
• Abdominal pain
• Heartburn
• Indigestion

Sudden cardiac arrest symptoms – Several symptoms of sudden cardiac arrest are

• Shortness of breath
• Nausea
• Chest pain
• No breathing or pulse
• Weakness
• Heart palpitations
• Dizziness
• Sudden collapse

Risk Factors – There are several risk factors that increase the risk of heart attack and sudden cardiac arrest are

Heart attack risk factors – Several risk factors that may cause heart attack are given below –

• Diabetes
• Obesity
• High blood pressure
• Family history
• Unhealthy diet
• High cholesterol
• Use of alcohol

Sudden cardiac arrest risk factors – Several risk factors that are responsible for sudden cardiac arrest are given below –

• Large heart
• Smoking
• Coronary heart disease
• Previous heart attack
• Obesity
• Family history
• Irregular heart valves
• Congenital heart disease
• Primary heart rhythm abnormalities