What is the physiological cause of a heart attack?

• A. Rupture of coronary arteries
• B. Severe angina
• C. A blood clot moving through the chambers of the heart
• D. Scar tissue in the heart muscle
• E. A blood clot lodging in a blood vessel supplying the heart

Answer: (E)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Understand that a heart attack, or myocardial infarction, occurs when blood flow to a part of the heart is blocked, causing damage to the heart muscle.
2. Recognize that the coronary arteries are responsible for supplying blood to the heart muscle. Any blockage in these arteries can lead to a heart attack.
3. Identify that a common cause of blockage is a blood clot, which can form due to the rupture of a plaque in the coronary artery.
4. Clarify that when a blood clot lodges in a coronary artery, it prevents oxygen-rich blood from reaching a part of the heart muscle, leading to tissue damage or death.
5. Conclude that the physiological cause of a heart attack is the lodging of a blood clot in a blood vessel supplying the heart, which aligns with the correct answer provided.