KONTAN.CO.ID – JAKARTA. The heart is a muscle that contracts to pump blood around the body. A heart attack or myocardial infarction occurs when the heart muscle doesn’t get enough blood.
Blood carries oxygen and nutrients to the heart muscle. If there isn’t enough blood flowing to your heart muscle, the affected area can be damaged or die. This condition is dangerous and sometimes deadly.
Summarize Medical News Today, heart attacks are usually caused by heart disease that has been going on for a long time. However, this condition can also occur suddenly.
There are many risk factors that contribute to a heart attack. This includes:
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– Age
– Pedigree or family history
– High blood pressure (hypertension)
– High cholesterol
– Obesity
– Poor diet
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– Excessive alcohol consumption (regularly, i.e. more than one drink per day for women and more than two drinks per day for men)
– Stress
– Physical inactivity
A heart attack is a medical emergency. It is very important to listen to what your body is saying if you think you may have this medical condition.
It’s better to seek emergency medical care right away and make mistakes than get no help at all when you have a heart attack.
Heart attack warning signs
Summarizing the Health Line, there are some heart attack warning signs that are good to watch out for. Here are some of them:
1. Chest pain, pressure, or discomfort in the chest
Most people with heart attacks experience some kind of chest pain or discomfort in the chest.
However, it is important to understand that chest pain does not occur in every heart attack. Chest pain is a common sign of a heart attack.
People describe this sensation as a feeling like an elephant is standing on their chest. Meanwhile, some people do not describe chest pain as pain.
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Instead, they may say that they feel chest tightness or pressure. Sometimes this discomfort looks bad for a few minutes and then goes away.
Sometimes the discomfort returns hours or even a day later. These can all be signs that your heart muscle is not getting enough oxygen. If you experience chest pain or tightness, you or someone around you should immediately call the nearest medical emergency number.
2. Not just chest pain
Pain and tightness can also spread to other areas of the body. Most people associate a heart attack with pain radiating to the left arm.
It can happen, but pain can appear in other locations, including:
– Upper stomach
– Shoulder Back Neck or throat
– Teeth or jaw
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According to American Heart Association, women tend to report heart attacks that cause pain especially in the lower abdomen and lower chest.
Pain may not be concentrated at all in the chest. Pain can feel like pressure in the chest and pain in other parts of the body. Upper back pain is another symptom that women feel more often than men.
3. Sweating day and night
Sweating more than usual, especially if you are not exercising or doing any activity can also be an early warning sign of heart problems.
Pumping blood through blocked arteries takes more effort from your heart, so your body sweats more trying to keep your body temperature down during the extra exertion.
If you experience cold sweat or clammy skin, it’s best to consult a doctor. Night sweats are also a common symptom for women who have heart problems.
Women may mistake these symptoms for the effects of menopause. However, if you wake up and your sheets are soaking wet or you can’t sleep due to sweating, this could be a sign of a heart attack, especially in women.
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4. Fatigue
Fatigue can be a rare sign of a heart attack in women. According to the American Heart Association, some women may even mistake their heart attack symptoms for flu-like symptoms.
A heart attack can cause fatigue because of the extra pressure on your heart to try to pump while areas of blood flow become blocked.
If you often feel tired or exhausted for no reason, it could be a sign that something is wrong. Fatigue and shortness of breath are more common in women than men and may begin months before a heart attack.
That’s why it’s important to see a doctor as early as possible when you experience the first signs of fatigue.
5. Shortness of breath
Your breathing and your heart pumping blood effectively are closely related. Your heart pumps blood so it can circulate to your tissues and get oxygen from your lungs.
If your heart can’t pump blood properly, as in the case of a heart attack, you can feel short of breath. Shortness of breath can sometimes be a symptom that accompanies unusual fatigue in women.
For example, some women with heart problems report that they will experience unusual shortness of breath and fatigue from the activities they do. This condition can be a common sign of a heart attack in women.
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6. Dizziness as if you were about to pass out
Lightheadedness and dizziness can occur with heart attacks and are often the symptoms described by women. Some women reported that they felt like they might pass out if they tried to stand up or force themselves.
This sensation is certainly not a natural feeling and should not be ignored if you experience it.
7. Heart palpitations
Palpitations is a sensation when the heart beats fast. Your heart and body rely on a consistent, steady rate to move blood throughout your body. If the beat is out of rhythm, this could be a sign that you are having a heart attack.
Palpitations from a heart attack can cause discomfort or anxiety, especially in women. Some people may describe heart palpilation as the sensation when the heart is beating fast in the neck, not just the chest.
Changes in your heart rhythm shouldn’t be ignored. Therefore, once the heart beats consistently out of its normal rhythm, medical intervention is required. If a pounding heart is accompanied by dizziness, chest pressure, chest pain, or fainting, this can be a confirmation that a heart attack is occurring.
8. Indigestion, nausea, and vomiting
Often times people start experiencing mild indigestion and other digestive problems before a heart attack occurs. Because heart attacks usually occur in older people who usually have more digestive problems, this symptom can be considered heartburn or other food-related complications.
If you usually have a healthy stomach, indigestion or heartburn could be a signal that something else is happening: a heart attack.
So don’t hesitate to talk to your doctor if you suspect you have a condition that leads to a heart attack.
This article has been published on Kompas.com with the title “8 warning signs of a heart attack to watch out for“
Author: Irawan Sapto Adhi
Editor: Irawan Sapto Adhi
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Editor: Barratut Taqiyyah Rafie
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