Heart Disease
Information, Symptoms, Treatments and Resources
What Is a Heart Attack?
Your Heart
Your Heart
The heart is a special muscle about the size of your fist that pumps blood through your body, making sure that every tissue gets the oxygen and other nutrients they need to function.
But the heart is also like every other part of your body: the heart tissue itself needs blood and oxygen to survive. Without this crucial nourishment, the heart muscle starts to die. This reduces or may completely stop the heart’s ability to supply blood and oxygen to the rest of the body, damaging those tissues as well.
By Jenilee Matz, MPH. Jenilee Matz, MPH, is a medical writer, health educator, and triathlete based in Charlotte, NC. Published May 29, 2012.
