A man right in the middle of a vigorous game of squash collapsed with a heart attack.He would have died had it not been for a colleague who gave him to aspirin. Elaborate in detail how the aspirin helped the man?
1 Answer
Here's what I find.
Explanation:
What causes a heart attack?
Most heart attacks develop when the plaque buildup in a coronary artery ruptures.
When plaques rupture, they attract platelets to their surface.
The platelets are tiny blood cells that trigger blood clotting.
A clot forms on the ruptured plaque.
As the clot grows, it blocks the artery, or it breaks off and travels to block a smaller artery.
If the blockage is complete, it cuts off oxygen from part of the heart muscle.
The muscle cells are deprived of oxygen and die, and the victim has a heart attack.
How does aspirin help?
Aspirin helps by inhibiting the formation of platelets.
Aspirin keeps platelets from clumping together, so it can help dissolve the clot before there's permanent damage to the heart.
What does aspirin do in the body?
Aspirin blocks the synthesis of an enzyme called cyclooxygenase (COX).
The COX controls the synthesis of a lipid called thromboxane A2, which causes the clumping of platelets.
If the patient receives early treatment, the aspirin can help dissolve the clot and prevent irreversible damage to the heart.
