early warning signals heart attack  
 

Early Warning Signals Heart Attack
By Bobby Gill

Early Warning Signals Heart Attack

Heart disease is a leading cause of death for men and women. Yet, when early warning signals heart attack, one or more of the following five symptoms are widely ignored:

1. Shortness of breath

2. Pain or discomfort in the chest

3. Discomfort in the arms or shoulder

4. Feeling of weakness or lightheadedness

5. Discomfort in the jaw, neck or back

Just what exactly are these Warning signs? The signs of a heart attack usually occur at the time of the event and usually involve chest pain in the center of the chest that lasts more than a few minutes, along with squeezing, pressure, burning, or heaviness. The pain can radiate to the left arm, throat or jaw. There can be shortness of breath, dizziness, sweating, nausea, and fainting. Unfortunately sudden death due to cardiac arrest can also be the first symptom. "Silent heart attacks" can occur with no symptoms. This type of heart attack is discovered on a routine EKG. It is very important that you get to a hospital equipped to handle cardiac emergencies as soon as possible. New drugs that can stop or limit the damage of a heart attack are now available, but they have to be administered soon after an attack begins. Only 1 in 4 of us knows early warning signals heart attack. Knowing the risks and early warning signs along with preventive screenings can lower your risk of stroke and heart attack. It's important to note that there may be no warning signs or symptoms.

Signs for women

The demographics of those groups that are most informed of early heart attack warning signs and what to do about them tend to be white, highly educated women. The symptoms do not always include pain in the chest thus many women ignore or downplay the early warning signs. Heart disease is the leading cause of death in women. A West Virginia study found that 38% of women die from their first heart attack compared to 25% for men. This difference could be due to symptoms in women are not the same as those in men. Women can think they have a non-heart attack situation happening such as an anxiety attack or panic attack accompanied with a feeling of something being wrong. Typical symptoms ignored by women are discomfort, fatigue, sweating and clamminess. Since these symptoms are not scary, the women convince themselves that they are fine.

A woman's fatigue is an overall feeling of being tired or even exhausted for no apparent reason. This is a fatigue that is felt throughout her body and she knows something is wrong. This "gut" feeling and acting upon it can save her life. Acting upon this "gut" feeling still could be unobserved since women tend to seek treatment more often than men do, their doctors may not think this is a serious condition than they would if the patient were a man who rarely seek treatment. Once the doctor or the woman recognizes the symptoms, symptoms can tell quite a bit about the attack itself. can be experienced for as long as a month before the diagnosis is made. During this time she may feel like she has the flu. Body aches, fatigue, nausea (for some it can be extreme nausea), cold sweats, and shortness of breath are all symptoms of a heart attack that women can experience and need further investigation if you suffer chest discomfort and for some women a pressure low in the chest.

For men the feeling of heaviness in the chest is often described. This can be felt by women, but only 30% of women who have heart attacks state they experienced any chest pain at all throughout this process. Usually the chest pain women experience is a stabbing pain, not the crushing pain that men feel when they have a heart attack.

It is important if you are a woman and you have that you seek medical treatment immediately. The in women, the common symptoms are:

A Unexplained fatigue or extreme tiredness

B Shortness of breath

C Nausea (not relieved by antacids or even burping)

D Heart burn that won't go away with antacids

E Cold sweats

F Chest discomfort

G Pressure low in the chest

H Panic or anxiety attack symptoms without the trigger

If you are experiencing these symptoms instead of trying to brush them off as being nothing or assume it is a panic attack. Seek medical treatment. Discussing your health with your primary medical care provider is important. If deep down you feel there is more to your symptoms you should let your doctor know that you want him to run a couple tests. More women die from heart disease than any other ailment.


 
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
   

 

 

 

 

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