A heart attack is one of the most serious medical emergencies and they can often be fαтαℓ or lífє-chαngíng. They require immediate medical attention and can seemingly strike from nowhere – happening when blood cannot reach the heart, usually due to a blood clot.
Known medically as myocardial infarctions, where ‘myo’ means muscle, ‘cardial’ refers to the heart, and ‘infarction’ refers to the death of cell tissue due to a lack of blood supply, a heart attack is when the heart muscle is damaged because it doesn’t have enough oxygen to function.
Thanks to increased knowledge and intensive research, tens of thousands of Americans survive heart attacks each year, according to the American Heart Association.
But there is still a long way to go in educating and broadening awareness about this common and frightening experience – and becoming better at identifying those at risk is a must.
But it’s also good to know that half of all patients with acute myocardial infarction had in fact had warning signs over the previous days or month – without necessarily realizing it.
1. Fatigue
We are all tired at times, which is perfectly normal. But if you’re so tired that basic activities like grocery shopping suddenly feel like pure ᴛᴏʀᴛᴜʀᴇ, then it may be time to investigate.
In addition, if you find yourself getting breathless rather quickly or suddenly, you should see a doctor right away in order for them to check your EKG. If you find yourself in a stressful situation and your heart is not doing well, you may suffer a heart attack.
2. Pressure building up in the chest
One of the most common warning signs of heart attack is strong pressure in the chest.
Chest pain can be felt in other areas of the body, sometimes the pain radiates nearby (typically the left armpit, or left arm), but you can feel the pressure even in the throat, neck, jaw, back or stomach. The pain usually lasts about 15 minutes.
3. Exhaustion
If you feel weakness, or exhaustion frequently, it might be because your muscles don’t receive enough blood. The phenomenon of exhaustion is usually one of the first warning signs of a heart attack that might be coming.
4. Acute respiratory distress
Before a heart attack, people may experience shortness of breath. This happens because the lungs don’t receive enough blood due to clogged blood vessels.
If you suddenly have difficulty breathing, you should consult a doctor immediately.
5. Dizziness and cold sweats
Excessive sweating can be a sign of a first heart attack. If you experience these symptoms, you should see a doctor.
The dizziness can happen due to reduced blood supply to the brain.
6. Cold/flu
Are you tormented by a bad cough, cold and fever? Don’t panic right away – these are of course not immediately dangerous symptoms.
However, what many are not aware of is that cold symptoms may appear one month before a heart attack. This is thus something worth thinking about – especially if you have also experienced any other of the above symptoms.
It’s important to remember that the symptoms of heart attacks can be very different from one individual to another, and also particularly vary between men and women.
But by paying attention to these six points, I hope that more lives can be saved.
References: cambridge-news.co.uk, en.newsner.com
