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Symptoms Of Heart Attacks And Strokes

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Conditions With Similar Symptoms To A Heart Attack

Seek emergency care if experiencing symptoms of heart attack, stroke

Other medical conditions can have similar symptoms and can affect the heart.

These conditions include:

Angina: A symptom of coronary artery disease that causes chest pain or discomfort due to the heart muscle not getting enough blood. Angina may feel like pressure or a squeezing pain in the chest area.

Aortic aneurysm and dissection: An enlargement that can burst or tear in the aorta, the main artery in the body. This is a life-threatening emergency.

Arrhythmias: Irregular or unusually fast or slow heartbeats. These can develop into more serious medical conditions such as atrial fibrillation, which can cause a stroke.

A blood clot in the lung: This can result from deep vein thrombosis, when a clot forms, often in the lower leg, and a part of it breaks off and travels to the lung. This needs emergency medical treatment.

Heartburn, acid reflux, or gastroesophageal reflux : This can also feel like a heart attack by causing severe chest pain.

Musculoskeletal pain: Sometimes damage to a muscle in the chest, neck, or arm can lead to pain that may resemble that which occurs with a heart attack.

Panic disorders, anxiety, depression, and emotional stress can also cause chest pain in some people.

It is important to seek emergency medical treatment for chest pain to be sure it is not a heart attack or another serious medical condition.

Signs & Symptoms Of A Heart Attack And Stroke

Not all heart attacks and strokes begin with the sudden, crushing pain you often see on TV or in the movies. Many heart attacks start slowly as mild pain or discomfort. Learn the common warning signs of a heart attack or stroke. Remember, if you think you or someone else is having a heart attack or stroke, act quickly and and ask to be taken to the ER at St. Joseph’s Hospital.

Symptoms Of Stroke In Women

Strokes are not as common as heart attacks, but can come on without warning. Here are signs that a stroke may be occurring:

  • Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg, especially on one side of the body
  • Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding
  • Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes
  • Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination
  • Sudden, severe headache with no known cause

Its worth noting that in some women symptoms of heart problems, like palpitations, chills or faintness, may actually be symptoms of perimenopause. However, if you are experiencing these symptoms, you should see your healthcare practitioner.

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Preventing A Heart Attack

There are 5 main steps you can take to reduce your risk of having a heart attack :

  • smokers should quit smoking
  • lose weight if you’re overweight or obese
  • do regular exercise adults should do at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity each week, unless advised otherwise by the doctor in charge of your care
  • eat a low-fat, high-fibre diet, including wholegrains and at least 5 portions of fruit and vegetables a day
  • moderate your alcohol consumption

A Patient’s Guide To Understanding Strokes Of Unknown Cause

Symptoms for a stroke and heart attack often get confused. Here are ...

In most cases, a stroke is caused by a blood clot that blocks blood flow to the brain. But in some instances, despite testing, the cause cant be determined. Strokes without a known cause are called cryptogenic.

Because approximately 1 in 4 stroke survivors will likely have another stroke event, finding the cause of the stroke will help your physician treat the cause of your stroke and lower the likelihood of another. Having a cryptogenic stroke may be frustrating and overwhelming, but with a proper diagnostic workup and collaboration with your healthcare team, you can take part in finding the cause of your stroke and help prevent another one from occurring.

Below, we have information and resources that can help you and your loved ones partner with your healthcare team and find answers around cryptogenic stroke.

Its estimated that about 1 in 3 ischemic strokes are cryptogenic.

Some studies suggest that the incidence of cryptogenic stroke is higher in African-Americans and Hispanics .

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Act Fast To Identify Stroke

Act F.A.S.T. to help stroke patients get the treatments they need.

The stroke treatments that work best are available only if the stroke is recognized and diagnosed within 3 hours of the first symptoms. Stroke patients may not be eligible for these if they dont arrive at the hospital in time.

If you think someone may be having a stroke, act F.A.S.T. and do the following test:

FFace: Ask the person to smile. Does one side of the face droop?

AArms: Ask the person to raise both arms. Does one arm drift downward?

SSpeech: Ask the person to repeat a simple phrase. Is the speech slurred or strange?

TTime: If you see any of these signs, call 9-1-1 right away.

Note the time when any symptoms first appear. This information helps health care providers determine the best treatment for each person.

Do not drive to the hospital or let someone else drive you. Call 9-1-1 for an ambulance so that medical personnel can begin life-saving treatment on the way to the emergency room.

Is A Cardiac Arrest The Same Thing As A Heart Attack

A cardiac arrest and a heart attack are both medical emergencies. However, they are not the same thing, and sometimes a heart attack can progress into a cardiac arrest.

During a cardiac arrest, the electrical system that controls your heart rate and rhythm stops working, and the heart stops beating.

When someone has a cardiac arrest, they experience different symptoms and receive different treatments to someone who has a heart attack.

Someone having a cardiac arrest will collapse and have no pulse. They may not breathe properly, or maybe not at all, and they will lose consciousness.

If someone has a cardiac arrest, they need help immediately. Call 000 for an ambulance. While waiting for the ambulance to arrive, begin chest compressions , or use a device called a defibrillator, if available. Once the person gets to hospital, a medical team will treat them.

Read Also: How To Know If I’m Having A Heart Attack

Heart Attacks And Strokes During The Coronavirus Pandemic

While the world focuses on coronavirus, there appears to be a trend developing that is of great concern: hospitals are seeing fewer patients with heart attacks and strokes.

At one of the Lifespan hospitals, we have witnessed a 33 percent reduction in patients with heart attacks during March 2020 compared with the same month the three years prior. In speaking to our colleagues around the region, country and world, we have heard similar reports, with some observing up to a 70 percent reduction.

Anecdotally, many of us have observed that during the coronavirus outbreak, when patients with heart attack and stroke do present to the hospital, they do so much later in the course of the event, after more damage has occurred. As a consequence, they are much sicker and less likely to survive once they arrive at the hospital.

Monday 25 October 2021

Symptoms of Heart Attack and Stroke

Did you know that common emergency symptoms can differ for men and women? Often chest pain is thought to be the most common symptom for a heart attack and it is common in men. However, only about half of all women who have a heart attack actually report having chest pain.

Early treatment is critical for both heart attacks and strokes, two of Australias biggest killers. Knowing the common emergency symptoms and seeking immediate medical attention could save your life or save your loved one.

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Treatment For A Heart Attack

Immediate treatment may include cardiopulmonary resuscitation . This is appropriate if a person stops breathing and their heart stops. In some cases, it can help restore blood flow to the heart.

When emergency help arrives or when a person reaches the hospital, a doctor will provide other treatments.

Immediate interventions may

  • clot-busting medication, known as thrombolytics
  • nitroglycerin to improve blood flow

Surgery and other medical procedures include:

  • a bypass operation, to bypass the blocked blood vessel
  • percutaneous coronary intervention, to widen the narrow blood vessels

In the longer term, the doctor will advise about:

  • heart-healthy lifestyle changes such as diet or exercise
  • cardiac rehabilitation
  • ongoing medication to manage the condition

Heart Disease And Stroke

More than 877,500 Americans die of heart disease, stroke, or other cardiovascular diseases every year. Heart disease and stroke are the first and fifth leading causes of death in the United States.

CDC supports programs that help millions of Americans control their high blood pressure, prevent risk factors for heart disease and stroke, and reduce health disparities, which are differences in health across different geographic, racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic groups. These efforts have helped lower death rates from heart disease and stroke.

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What Are The Risk Factors For Heart Attack

Several health conditions, your lifestyle, and your age and family history can increase your risk for heart disease and heart attack. These are called risk factors. About half of all Americans have at least one of the three key risk factors for heart disease: high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, and smoking.2

Some risk factors cannot be controlled, such as your age or family history. But you can take steps to lower your risk by changing the factors you can control.

Learn more about risk factors for heart disease and heart attack.

Symptoms Of Heart Attack And Stroke In Women And Men

Heart Attack and Stroke Warning Signs

Von Melanie Hoffmann | Aug 26, 2022 at 1:37 p.m

Chest pain that radiates into the arm, tightness these are the signs many associate with a heart attack. But this is especially true for men. Acute cardiovascular disease manifests itself quite differently in women.

Heart attack is considered a male disease and in fact they are affected about twice as often as women.1 However, around 20,000 women die every year from a heart attack. In addition, survivors have worse chances of recovery than men.2 It is therefore important and possibly life-saving if women have early signs of a heart attack or stroke recognize as such the treacherous thing: The symptoms differ from those in men. FITBOOK explains what women should pay attention to.

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Keeping Our Patients Safe

Great efforts have been made to keep patients safe in the hospital, especially during the coronavirus outbreak.

  • We ask that patients wear masks to keep them from unknowingly spreading infection to other patients and health care workers.
  • Patients with confirmed COVID-19 are cohorted or kept together in the same nursing units away from other non-infected patients..
  • We have eliminated visitors as they might unknowingly bring COVID-19 into the hospital and expose patients and health care workers.
  • Health care workers are all wearing masks as well as other personal protective equipment, are handwashing even more often than usual, and are practicing social distancing.

What Are The Risk Factors For Cardiovascular Disease

The most important behavioural risk factors of heart disease and stroke are unhealthy diet, physical inactivity, tobacco use and harmful use of alcohol. The effects of behavioural risk factors may show up in individuals as raised blood pressure, raisedblood glucose, raised blood lipids, and overweight and obesity. These intermediate risks factors can be measured in primary care facilities and indicate an increased risk of heart attack, stroke, heart failure and other complications.

Cessation of tobacco use, reduction of salt in the diet, eating more fruit and vegetables, regular physical activity and avoiding harmful use of alcohol have been shown to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. Health policies that create conduciveenvironments for making healthy choices affordable and available are essential for motivating people to adopt and sustain healthy behaviours.

There are also a number of underlying determinants of CVDs. These are a reflection of the major forces driving social, economic and cultural change globalization, urbanization and population ageing. Other determinants of CVDs include poverty,stress and hereditary factors.

In addition, drug treatment of hypertension, diabetes and high blood lipids are necessary to reduce cardiovascular risk and prevent heart attacks and strokes among people with these conditions.

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What May Have Happened In The Hospital During My Heart Attack

In the hospital, the doctors likely performed one of these procedures to treat your heart attack.

  • They performed a stenting procedure where a stent, a tiny metal mesh tube, is put in to hold a blocked artery open to make sure blood can flow through.
  • They performed open heart surgery or bypass surgery to create a new physical path for blood to flow around the blocked artery. To do this, they use tissue from an artery or vein in another part of your body and put it in your heart. If there are multiple blocked arteries, you might need more than one bypass.

Know Your Risk: Book A Heart Health Check

Recognize the Signs and Symptoms of Stroke

Do you know what your risk of having a heart attack or stroke is? 1.4 million Australians have a high chance of having a heart attack or stroke in the next five years, but many are unaware of this risk.

The main risk factors affecting both men and women include:

  • high blood pressure
  • lack of physical activity
  • being above a healthy weight
  • unhealthy diet, including eating foods with saturated fats or added salt and low fruit and vegetable intake
  • excessive alcohol consumption
  • depression and social isolation

You should also be aware of atrial fibrillation, which is associated with one in four strokes. Atrial fibrillation causes an irregular heartbeat. This can allow blood clots to form in the heart which can then break away from the heart wall and travel to the brain, where it may cause a stroke. To find out if you have atrial fibrillation or if you experience symptoms such as palpitations, weakness, faintness or breathlessness, see a doctor for diagnosis and treatment. Your doctor will advise you on how best to manage your atrial fibrillation.

Anyone 45 years and over or 30 years and over for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples should have a regular heart health check with their doctor. Heart health checks can identify issues and determine your risk factor by checking your blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar levels. Your GP can support you to make positive changes to lower this risk.

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Heart Attack Care In Tampa Fl

A heart attack means the flow of blood to your heart has stopped, usually due to a blockage in your blood vessels. Your heart can’t get enough oxygen and the muscle begins to die. Prevent heart attacks by undergoing regular screenings.

Chest pain is the most obvious sign of a heart attack. However, it is possible to have a heart attack without any chest pain at all. Be aware of the signs and symptoms of a heart attack so you can seek treatment immediately. The sooner we treat you, the better your chances are for recovery. We can perform emergency cardiac catheterization in our cardiac cath labs to restore your blood flow. Learn more about cardiac catheterization at St. Joseph’s. Watch our patient stories to learn why they chose St. Joseph’s Hospital when they had a heart attack.

What Is The Difference Between A Stroke And A Heart Attack

Both heart attacks and strokes occur suddenly and require immediate medical attention. But when the symptoms of a heart attack or stroke abruptly appear, will you know how to tell the difference between the two?

Both result from a lack of blood flow to critical body parts: a stroke is caused by a blockage in blood flow to the brain, while a heart attack is caused by a blockage in blood flow to the heart. The first aid treatments for each emergency differ. Taking immediate action can mean the difference between survival and recovery, or severe damage for a patient.

If you suspect someone is having a heart attack or stroke, call 911 to receive emergency medical help immediately. Understanding the symptoms of each can help you know what to do until help arrives.

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Learn The Signs Of Stroke

A stroke occurs when a blood clot forms in the blood vessels, blocking the flow of oxygen to the brain.This can result in long-term brain damage, disability and death. Early intervention is key to avoiding harmful and life-threatening outcomes from stroke, as the chances of survival are greater when treatment begins quickly. Strokes can occur at any age, although the risk of having one increases as we get older.

Stroke symptoms often appear suddenly. They can include numbness in the face, arm, or leg, especially on one side of the body confusion or slurred speech severe headaches trouble walking or seeing and dizziness and loss of balance.

The acronym FAST is an easy mnemonic device used to remember and recognize the signs of stroke:

F: face drooping?

What Is The Outlook

Heart stroke symptoms infographics icons â Stock Vector © Sonulkaster ...

Your outlook following a stroke or heart attack depends greatly on the severity of the event and how quickly you get treatment.

Some people who have a stroke will experience damage that makes walking or talking difficult for a long time. Others lose brain function that never returns. For many of those who were treated soon after symptoms began, complete recovery may be possible.

Following a heart attack, you can expect to resume most of the activities you enjoyed before if you do all of the following:

  • follow your doctors orders
  • participate in cardiac rehabilitation
  • maintain a healthy lifestyle

Your life expectancy will depend greatly on whether you adhere to heart-healthy behaviors. If you have a stroke or heart attack, its important to take the rehabilitation process seriously and stick with it. As challenging as it may be at times, the payoff is a much better quality of life.

Many of the same strategies that can help prevent a stroke can also help reduce your chances of having a heart attack. These include:

  • getting your cholesterol and blood pressure levels into a healthy range

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