World Heart Day 2019: What are the 4 Silent Signs of a Heart Attack?
A heart attack is a life-threatening medical emergency that has taken many lives in the world. It occurs due to sudden blockage of blood supply to the heart muscles that are caused by blood clots in major blood vessels supplying oxygenated blood to the heart.
It is World Heart Day today. Every year September 29 is dedicated to one of the most important organs in our body- the heart. The global burden of heart conditions is only increasing and one of the biggest concerns amongst the various heart ailments and CVDs is heart-attack. Even worse, silent heart attack. A heart attack is a life-threatening medical emergency that has taken many lives in the world. It occurs due to sudden blockage of blood supply to the heart muscles that are caused by blood clots in major blood vessels supplying oxygenated blood to the heart. However, silent heart attacks have fewer sometimes no symptoms at all. The person affected may have no symptom of a heart problem all life long. Sometimes these heart attack symptoms may also not be cardiac-related at all. However, they are just as major as normal heart attacks except with quite wide-ranging symptoms. Here are a few:
Difficulty Breathing and Light-Headedness
This symptom makes you feel dizzy, like you have been doing some strenuous physical activity, even though it may be an activity as light has walking up the stairs. This means that your heart isn't pumping enough blood. Usually, the shortness of breath is accompanied by chest pain, however, that may not always be the case. You may sometimes feel so lightheaded that you could possibly even faint.
Discomfort in Non-Cardiac Parts Of The Body
Heart attacks usually affect your whole body, not just your heart. You must remember that a heart-attack can even cause discomfort and affect body parts such as arms, back, neck, jaw, stomach, face, etc. Although the symptoms may vary from person to person but a lot has to be figured out by the way the person describes the pain and discomfort. Diagnosis plays a very crucial role. For example, some people describe their back pain from a heart attack as feeling like a rope being tied around them. You may also feel a heavy pressure on your back. Either way, if you think you’re experiencing any of these less obvious signs of a heart attack, don’t ignore them.
Nausea and Cold Sweats
Sometimes nausea and cold sweats are mistaken to be symptoms of the flu. However, if you wake up in a cold sweat feeling nauseated, along with all the other symptoms including an urge to vomit, these could be signs of a silent heart attack. vomiting may be symptoms of the flu, but they can also be signs of a silent heart attack. If you ever find yourself in such a situation, you must call any emergency number immediately and seek help if you are alone.
Chest Pain and Discomfort
The feeling of pressure, discomfort or fullness have often been associated with that of a silent heart attack. Sometimes the pain my be felt right where the problem began. One may feel intense pain in the middle of the chest and also a feeling of your chest squeezing in. Sometimes these symptoms have a growing tendency.
Experiencing unexplained heartburn, sudden excessive fatigue, shortness of breath could be some of the many symptoms of a heart attack. However, if you ever feel you're experiencing any of these symptoms that don't have an explanation, it is always advised to visit a health expert, asap.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 29, 2019 08:10 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).