Difference Between a Stroke and a Heart Attack

Both heart attack and stroke are terms that are usually used interchangeably by people without a medical background, although the causes can be similar, the terms themselves represent different things. While a heart attack, as name suggests, refers to the heart, a stroke is associated with the brain. The major difference between a stroke and a heart attack.

Both these conditions can be fatal and can be caused by the lifestyle of the person. Also, both are basically caused by the blockage of arteries supplying blood to these two parts of the body.

These two terms are also sometimes confused with seizures and angina, but again, these are vastly different things. Seizures are related to stroke, while an angina is associated with a heart attack.

Definition of Stroke: Stroke is defined as the sudden death of some brain cells due to a lack of oxygen, when the blood flow to the brain is impaired by blockage or rupture of an artery to the brain.

Definition of Heart Attack: Heart attack is defined as sudden interruption of or insufficiency in the supply of blood to the heart, typically resulting from occlusion or obstruction of a coronary artery and often characterized by severe chest pain.

Stroke is caused due to blockages occurring in the arteries in the neck or the brain. Depending on the location of the artery, the effects vary. If the blockage has occurred in the brain stem, the effects include difficulty in controlling excretion, breathing, swallowing, and loss of consciousness.

If the blockage occurs in the frontal part of the brain, it affects the memory, speech, communication, and the part of the brain that controls the logical, analytical and organizational capabilities of the person. There are two types of stroke:

• Embolic: Where the stroke occurs as a result of some blockage/ clot that has formed somewhere else and traveled up to the brain.
• Thrombosis: Where the stroke occurs in the brain itself, due to blockage in the part of the artery occurring in the brain.

Heart attack is caused due to the blockage of an artery in the heart. The blockage is usually caused due to blood clots or plaque. Plaque is a buildup of cholesterol in the artery. This buildup occurs over a period of time, and grows big enough to block the artery.

Then, it develops cracks, where the blood platelets stick to form a clot. If this clot breaks away and travels to the heart, it prevents the blood flow in that artery. When the blood flow to the heart is restricted for more than a few minutes, the heart muscles begin to die, causing an attack.

Given below are the other differences between a heart attack and a stroke.

• Stroke is basically associated with the brain.
• Usually in case of a stroke, the pain is negligible or even absent. The attacks are usually preceded by loss of sensation in a body part, like the limbs or the face.
• Here, the arteries carrying blood to the brain either clot or break, stopping the blood supply or causing bleeding, respectively.

• Classified into two types,hemorrhagic, and ischemic - which indicate rupturing of arteries, and clots in the arteries supplying blood to the brain, respectively.
• Depending on the artery that is affected, a part of the brain is affected. The entire brain doesn't shut down at once.

• A stroke can cause parts of the body to suffer, not necessarily the entire body. Depending on which part of the brain had its supply cut off, the part of the body controlled by that part of the brain is affected.
• Stroke can result in partial or total paralysis. Or even a certain part of the body being paralyzed.

The most common symptoms of stroke are:

• Slurred speech, confusion in understanding what is being said by the people around, not being able to form coherent sentences, etc.
• Vision problems, like diminished vision in either or both eyes, or sudden and inexplicable headaches and migraines.

• Deterioration in the coordination of movements, dizziness, or stumbling while trying to walk.
• Weakness in muscles, loss of sensation/ numbness in various parts of the body - particularly parts on one side, etc.

• Heart attack, as the name says, is associated with the heart.
• In case of heart attack, the pain is very much present and is usually characterized by cramps in the chest/ heart muscles.
• In case of heart attack, the arteries do not break. They usually clot, thus cutting off the blood supply, in effect strangling the heart and killing its muscles.

• The types of heart attacks depend on various factors, like the severity of the cell damage, the extent of the blockage, and the location of the blockage.
• The entire heart is affected. No part of the heart is spared in the case of a heart attack as the whole organ shuts down.

• In case of a heart attack, no particular part of the body is singled out. The heart controls circulation to all the body parts, meaning an attack of the heart will affect the entire body.
• In case of heart attack, muscles of the heart weaken, rather than any part of the body, leaving the sufferer susceptible to more attacks in the future.

The most common symptoms of heart attack are:

• Pain in the chest, jaw, or even neck.
• Heaviness, pressure, feeling of constriction or squeezing of the heart, tightness in the chest, etc.
• Pain in the hands, especially in the left arm & between the shoulder blades, etc.
• Breaking out in a cold sweat similar to anxiety, shortness of breath or difficulty in breathing.

Whether it is a stroke or heart attack, both require immediate medical assistance, to prevent the damage from being too severe. Every second is important in both these critical cases. Faster the treatment is sought, better the result will be.

As soon as you think you, or someone around you, is showing any of the symptoms mentioned above, dial 911 immediately. You could save your own, or someone else's life by saving precious minutes.