Q: Â My mother is 52 and has multiple medical problems including high blood pressure and diabetes. Â Admittedly, she does not take care of herself, she smokes, and even on occasion will use cocaine. Â I know she has a lot of problems, but she was just admitted to the hospital, and had a heart attack, and a few days later had a stroke. Â Have you ever heard of someone having both of these, one right after the other?
A: Â Unfortunately, Â that can happen. Â When you have a heart attack the heart muscle becomes damaged, and stops working. Â When that occurs, because the heart muscle is not moving in that area of the heart, the blood can become slight stagnant, and blood clots can form. Â These blood clots, which are directly in the chambers of the heart can come out (what is called embolize) and migrate to other areas of the body, frequently the brain, which then causes a stroke. Â As your mother recovers from both, she is going to have to take much better care of herself. Â Cocaine likely contributed to the heart attack, by rupturing a plaque in the heart artery. Â Obviously, this abuse has to stop immediately, and she has to modify her other cardiovascular risk factors.
To learn more about the risk factors for heart attacks and strokes watch this video on VideoMD.com.
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