Heart Attack Symptoms In Women
Although many people think heart attacks happen mostly to men, heartdisease is the leading cause of death for both men and women. So it’s justas important for women of every age torecognize heart attack signsand seek immediate medical attention.
For the vast majority of people men and women chest pain or discomfortis the primary symptom of a heart attack. However, women are more likelythan men are to have less recognizable heart attack symptoms, such as:
- Pain or discomfort in different parts of the upper body
- Shortness of breath
- Nausea and vomiting
Kara Burns 41 Had A Heart Attack At Age 39
As a former cardiology nurse, I knew all about the symptoms of a heart attack. But that was the farthest thing from my mind when I was hit with sudden chest pain one morning in 2013.
It was just a normal Saturday; I was sitting in bed with my husband and three-month-old baby, watching the news and drinking coffee. Looking back, I had all the classic symptoms: I felt dizzy and nauseous, and the chest pain was radiating out to my back. I knew something was wrongand I knew I needed to get to the hospitalbut I didnt think I was having a heart attack.
I was just about to get into my car when I turned to my husband and said, Im not going to make it. Thats when he called an ambulance, which was there in about two minutes. The firefighters came, toothey were rearranging my furniture in my living room while the EMTs put me on a gurney. They kind of swooped me away and we were off to the hospital. My husband was following behind the ambulance in my Toyota Highlanderlater, he told me, I didnt know your car could do 95 miles per hour on the highway. I had no idea how fast we were going.
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At the hospital, they took me into the trauma room right away. I only remember bits and pieces of the next 24 hours. I was an emotional wreck, so they kept me pretty sedated. I remember waking up and seeing my mom, waking up and asking where the baby was.
What A Mild Heart Attack Means
A mild heart attack is a common way of referring to what physicians call a non-ST elevation myocardial infarction, or NSTEMI. .
In this type of heart attack, blood flow through one of the coronary arteries was partially blocked, limiting the supply of oxygenated blood to the heart muscle.
If you were told youve had a mild heart attack, it probably means your heart didnt suffer much damage and still pumps normally, Dr. Campbell says.
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Diagnosis And Treatment For Heart Attacks In Teenagers
The following tests will be done in case a doctor suspects the chances of; having heart disease
- ECG or electrocardiograph
- cardiac enzyme tests
- chest X-ray
During a sudden attack, taking immediate action is very important, rush them to the doctor immediately, and if you think it would take time to reach the doctor then use these methods to help the victim. Immediate action can be taken by giving; manual chest compressions, or a defibrillator.
After a heart attack the victim will be given certain medications or treatments. The aim of these measures is to prevent future occurrence of heart attacks. They may include:
- aspirin and other antiplatelets
- maintaining blood cholesterol at optimum levels
- keeping blood pressure at a safe level
- maintaining a healthy body weight
Overweight And Obesity Are Key Players In Heart Attacks
Being overweight has a significant influence on your risk of having a heart attack for several reasons. For starters, carrying extra weight places a high demand on your heart. Obesity alone makes you more likely to have a heart attack even if youre otherwise healthy.
However, patients who are overweight and obese often have other health conditions that detract from their heart health, such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and high cholesterol.;
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Learn First Aid For Someone Who May Be Having A Heart Attack
1. The person may have persistent, vice-like chest pain, which may spread to their arms, neck, jaw, back or stomach.
This pain happens because a blockage stops blood getting to the heart muscle. The pain will not ease with rest.
2. Call 999 as soon as possible.
If you cant call 999, get someone else to do it. The person needs medical help as soon as possible. A heart attack can be very serious and needs immediate attention.
3. Help the person to sit down.
Ensure they are comfortable for example, sitting on the floor and leaning against a chair or a wall. Sitting will ease the strain on the heart. Sitting them on the floor also means they are less likely to hurt themselves if they collapse.
4. Reassure them while you wait for the ambulance.
Where Is Your Heart Located
The heart is located in the left side of the chest between the left and right lungs. It is behind the left side part of the breastbone, medial to the lungs and on the posterior side of the sternum. The heart occupies the left side of the chest.
Two thirds of its mass is on the left side while the rest is on the right side of the chest. If you want to find out the size of your heart, then just close your fist and thats approximately the size of your heart.
It is important to pinpoint the location of the heart to distinguish if the pain in the chest has something to do with the heart or not. A heart pain is a pressure or pain right in the exact position of the heart.
However, there are rare instances wherein heart attack pain is not necessarily felt in the exact position of the heart. In fact, not all pain in the chest area is heart related. Some of the reasons for chest pain other than heart attack include the following:
- Gastroesophageal reflux disease
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How To Get Checked Out
Men may not be aware they had an SMI until weeks or even months later when they see their doctor for a regular visit, or because of persistent symptoms like fatigue, shortness of breath, or heartburn.
SMI is usually detected from an electrocardiogram or echocardiogram, which can highlight heart muscle damage. Another method is a blood test for the molecular footprints of troponin T, a protein released by injured heart cells. That test is often used in emergency departments for patients with heart attack symptoms.
Once an SMI is diagnosed, your doctor can identify your main risk factors and help design a treatment strategy, including changing your diet, exercising regularly, and taking a statin as well as other medication to help prevent a second heart attack .
“If you do notice any symptoms of a SMI, do not brush them aside, even if you do not think they are serious,” says Dr. Plutzky. “Playing it safe is always a better move than risking the potential harmful downside.”
What Is A Heart Attack
Heart attack is medically known as myocardial infarction, and occurs when an area of the heart doesnt get enough oxygen which leads to chest pain. This lack of oxygen also causes the tissues of the heart to die. If the lack of oxygen is in a small area, there is minor damage to the heart and if it spans a large area of the heart, the damage is major. Lack of oxygen mainly causes due to a blockage in a blood vessel that supplies the heart.
A heart attack happens when the blood that flows to a section of heart muscle gets blocked. That section of heart muscle begins to die without a quick restoration of blood flow, according to the National Institutes of Health.
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Heart Problems In Teens
Signs of heart disease in teens are similar to those in younger kids. Usually, teens who are active in sports will have already undergone a physical exam with their pediatrician that included questions to try and help capture potential heart problems early. However, if your teen athlete complains of chest pain or any other heart symptoms during activity, consider scheduling a screening and evaluation by a pediatric cardiologist.
Why Are More Young People Having Heart Attacks
07 March 2019
The rates of heart attacks are declining overall in the U.S. but not among all groups of Americans. According to a new study, heart attack rates are increasing in what may seem like an unlikely group: adults in their 20s and 30s.
What’s more, despite their relatively young age, 20- and 30-somethings have the same rate of bad outcomes after a heart attack including death as those who are about 10 years older, the study found.
“It used to be incredibly rare to see anyone under age 40 come in with a heart attack and some of these people are now in their 20s and early 30s,” senior study author Dr. Ron Blankstein, a preventive cardiologist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, said in a statement. “Based on what we are seeing, it seems that we are moving in the wrong direction.”
The study will be presented March 17 at the American College of Cardiology’s annual scientific sessions meeting in New Orleans, and the findings have not yet been published in a peer-reviewed journal
In the study, researchers looked at data from about 2,100 heart attack patients age 50 and younger who were admitted to one of two large hospitals between 2000 and 2016.
Overall, about 1 in 5 patients, or 20 percent, were 40 or younger. But for the last 10 years of the study, the proportion of patients 40 and younger increased by about 2 percent each year, the researchers said.
More studies are needed to better understand why heart attacks are increasing among young people.
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A Guide Forheart Attack In Teenagers
Heart attacks in teenagers or children can be caused due to several factors. Since it is rare and not common, you will have to be vigilant when your child complains with any major chest pain. It is always recommended to consult a physician as soon as possible whenever your child complains about severe pain in the chest. Also it is important that you learn the signs and symptoms of teenage heart attacks.
Why Heart Attacks Among Young People Are On The Rise
The total number of heart attacks in the United States is lower than ever before but so is the age group its hitting hardest. Today, the elderly no longer hold a monopoly on cardiac arrest, as there are more heart attacks reported in young adults under the age of 40.
Multiple factors contribute to this trend, and understanding the causes can help you protect your health and prevent cardiovascular disease. Stress, anxiety, depression, substance abuse, and a poor diet all lead to conditions that affect your heart health. At Advanced Cardiac Care located in the Ozone Park area of Queens, New York, we specialize in assessing your risk and developing a long-range plan to help you beat the statistics and prevent a heart attack.;
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Recovering From A Heart Attack
The time it takes to recover from a heart attack will depend on the amount of damage to your heart muscle.
Most people can return to work after having a heart attack. Some people are well enough to return to work after 2 weeks. Other people may take several months to recover. How quickly you can go back to work depends on your health, the state of your heart and the type of work you do.
The recovery process aims to:
- reduce your risk of another heart attack through a combination of lifestyle changes , and medicines , which help to lower blood cholesterol levels
- gradually restore your physical fitness so you can resume normal activities
Causes Of Heart Attack In Teenagers
Heart attacks in teenagers is a rare condition. In most of the cases, a teenager falls victim to a heart attack due to the following reasons:
- The individual has an underlying heart condition that was present at birth that went unnoticed
- Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy an inherited disease
- Kawasaki disease which is also inherited
- Use of cocaine, pericarditis , myocarditis
- Use of synthetic cannabinoids
- Being overweight which leads to Type II diabetes and increases in blood pressure and bad cholesterol
- Heavy smoking is also a strong risk factor for heart attacks
- Congenital heart abnormality
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Warning Signs Of Heart Failure
By themselves, any one sign of heart failure may not be cause for alarm. But if you have more than one of these symptoms, even if you haven’t been diagnosed with any heart problems, report them to a healthcare professional and ask for an evaluation of your heart. Congestive heart failure is a type of heart failure which requires seeking timely medical attention, although sometimes the two terms are used interchangeably.
If you have been diagnosed with heart failure, it’s important for you to manage;and keep track of symptoms and report any sudden changes to your healthcare team.
This table lists the most common signs and symptoms, explains why they occur and describes how to recognize them.
Is There Anything That Distinguishes These Symptoms How Do You Know When Those Subtle Atypical Symptoms Are Concerning
Its important to know your risk for heart disease in order to assess early symptoms. Dr. Xu says when he works with a patient, they discuss his or her family and personal history, blood pressure, cholesterol levels, age and disease history to determine a risk level for heart attacks.
Within this context of risk, they talk about symptoms. Are they typical or not? How are they experienced? At rest or during exertion? Are they associated with emotional stress or cold weather? Are they happening in conjunction with other symptoms such as shortness of breath, rapid heartbeat or cold sweats?;This is the starting point for a treatment plan.
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Heart Disease Warning Signs Appear As Early As 18
Elevated blood pressure as young as age 18 is a warning sign of cardiovascular disease developing later in life and the time to begin prevention. Thats decades earlier than clinicians and patients generally start thinking about heart disease risk.
Elevated blood pressure as young as age 18 is a warning sign of cardiovascular disease developing later in life and the time to begin prevention, according to a large national Northwestern Medicine study. Thats decades earlier than clinicians and patients generally start thinking about heart disease risk.
The study also found distinct blood pressure patterns from ages 18 to 55 that reveal people at high risk for calcification of coronary arteries a marker for heart disease by middle age. Also known as hardening of the arteries, these calcium deposits can narrow coronary arteries and increase heart attack risk.
The 25-year study is the first to identify different long-term patterns of blood pressure levels and resulting cardiovascular risk.
This shows that your blood pressure in young adulthood can impact your risk for heart disease later in life, said Norrina Allen, PhD, lead study author and assistant professor of Preventive Medicine;at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. We cant wait until middle age to address it. If we can prevent their blood pressure from increasing earlier in life we can reduce their risk of future heart attacks and stroke.
Having A Heart Attack When You’re Young
Heart attacks are usually thought to affect people over the age of 50. However, in reality, they can occur at any age. In fact, about 8 in every 100 heart attacks occur in those under 55, and 1 in 4 heart attacks in women affects an under-60. They are also twice as likely to be fatal in young women compared to young men, often because they are missed until too late.
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Questions To Ask Your Doctor
Ask your doctor questions to learn more about your risk for heart disease and what to do about it. Learn what you can do if you are at increased risk or already have a heart problem.
To learn more about making heart-healthy lifestyle changes, visit the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.
Do Hormones Affect Your Risk Of A Heart Attack
Many women use prescription hormone drugs for birth control or for reducingsymptoms of menopause . Could thesedrugs jeopardize your heart health?
“Birth control pills can increase your risk of having a blood clot, eitherin the heart or in the legs, and they can also raise your blood pressure.So, if you have a history of high blood pressure or clotting problems,other types of contraception might be a better fit for you,” says Colliver.”But for most young women, it’s safe to take birth control medication.”
Colliver notes that women over the age of 50 are at an increased risk forheart disease and should completely avoid estrogen and progesterone drugs,if possible. “If your overall risk of heart attack is extremely low and youdesperately need relief from hot flashes and other postmenopausal symptoms,then hormone replacement therapy may be fine for you,” says Colliver. “Butafter the age of 65, we really try to avoid using them at all because theydo increase the risk of heart disease and potentially breast cancer.”
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