Heart attacks run rampant across the world. According to the Women's Heart Foundation, 1.5 million heart attacks occur in the United States yearly with one-third of the figure leading to deaths. But what people don't know is that deaths from a heart attack maybe caused by the heart itself.

According to a study done by the researchers at the University of Iowa, when a person suffers a heart attack the body reacts by producing a range of chemicals that trigger healing and repair. However, many of the chemical signals become too much, and thus, can lead to further damage which often lead to heart problems.

What the researchers from the university found out is that a single protein, called CaM kinase, is responsible for cardiac rupture, and that blocking this protein can help prevent rupturing, reducing the risk of death. In addition, they identified that the levels of aldosterone, which is associated with increased blood pressure and the oxidation in the heart, increases in patients following a heart attack which provides a greater risk of death.

With these discoveries, they linked two and two together and found that with the rise of aldosterone levels and its oxidation, the protein CaM kinase is activated. This combination was found to be linked with death by heart rupture, and that treatment that reduces the amount of the protein oxidized lowers the risk of heart rupture.

Another interesting detail that the researchers discovered is that when Cam kinase was activated, an enzyme called MMP9 was produced by the heart muscle cells - this enzyme is also implicated in heart rupture.

Mark E. Anderson, MD, PhD, senior author of the study, said that to sum things up, blocking the biochemical processes triggered by aldosterone could help prevent the heart from rupturing following a heart attack.

Of course, the best way to avoid heart rupture following a heart attack in the first place, is to avoid a heart attack from happening. According to MedicineNet.com, people can reduce the risk of having a heart attack by:

- Controlling high blood pressure

- Not smoking or stopping

- Exercising regularly

- Losing excess weight

- Lowering blood levels of LDL cholesterol, the bad cholesterol

- Increasing blood levels of the good cholesterol, HDL

- Taking anti-platelet medications to prevent blood clots