A heart attack is a life and death emergency. During a heart attack, every second counts. Therefore, knowing the symptoms of a heart attack could make a difference between life and death.
What Is It?
In medical terms, a heart attack is also known as a myocardial infarction. It is a condition in which the blood supply to the heart is severely reduced or completely blocked. And when this happens, the heart muscle cells do not receive enough oxygen, as a result of which they begin to die. Under such circumstances, it is very important to restore the blood flow to the heart as soon as possible.
So if you recognize the symptoms of a heart attack, you can act quickly and possibly save a life. Two things that you must understand about heart attacks are that very often heart attacks start slowly, like with mild pain or discomfort. Furthermore, a person who has had a heart attack might experience totally new symptoms during the second heart attack. It is thus very important that one carefully understands and recognizes the warning signs of a heart attack.
Chest Discomfort
One of the most common symptoms of a heart attack is chest discomfort. A person experiencing a heart attack would feel discomfort in the middle of the chest. This discomfort usually lasts for a few minutes and then goes away and then comes back again. This discomfort can be explained as an uncomfortable pressure, fullness, squeezing or pain in the chest. It is important to remember that aged people, people with diabetes and women often experience little or no chest pain during a heart attack.
If you or someone near you is feeling discomfort or pain in one or both the arms, the back, jaw, neck or stomach, it could be a sign of a heart attack. In many cases, chest discomfort can spread to the jaw, shoulders, arms, or neck. Discomfort or pain also spread from the jaw, shoulders, arms, or neck to the chest. Abdominal pain accompanied by a feeling of fullness, acidity, and indigestion can be a sign of a heart attack. If the pain and discomfort does not respond to antacids, then one should definitely seek medical assistance.
Shortness Of Breath
Shortness of breath is another common sign of a heart attack. In some cases, one will experience shortness of breath along with chest discomfort. However, in some cases, it can also occur before one starts experiencing chest discomfort.
Other Symptoms
Breaking out in a cold sweat, lightheadedness and nausea are some of other symptoms that a person may experience during a heart attack. Some of the other symptoms that a person might experience during a heart attack include:
• Anxiety
• Cough
• Dizziness and fainting
• Palpitations
In Women
While understanding the symptoms associated with heart attack, it is very important to understand that women might experience completely different symptoms. Recent studies have shown that women frequently experience nausea, indigestion, extreme fatigue and shortness of breath but no chest pain. Unfortunately, even doctors fail to read these signs and attribute these symptoms to gastrointestinal disturbances or musculoskeletal pain.
Studies have also shown that many women experience new or different physical symptoms a month or before experiencing a heart attack. These symptoms include feeling unusually fatigued, shortness of breath and sleep disturbances. Recognizing these symptoms can really help to forestall heart attacks in many women.
What To Do In The Event Of A Heart Attack
Once you have understood the symptoms associated with heart attacks in men and women, the next step should be to understand what one should do in the event of a heart attack. As I said before, in a heart attack, every second counts. The first thing that you should do is call 9-1-1. Today new medications and treatments can stop a heart attack in progress; therefore, it is very important to get medical help as soon as possible.
You can also give aspirin to a person before emergency medical services arrive. Crush half a tablet and put it under the tongue for fast absorption. Do remember that aspirin should not be give to a person with a history of stomach ulcers or allergic reaction to aspirin.
Understanding the symptoms and knowing what to do in the event of a heart attack are two of the basic things that every person should know. This will help save life and reduce long term disability associated with heart attacks.