Warning Symptoms That Signal A Heart Attack
Warning signs of a heart attack that you may not know-
Heart attack is now a serious problem all over the world. According to the World Health Organization, heart attacks are now the leading cause of death in the world. According to the WHO, 1.69 million people worldwide died of heart attacks in 2019, accounting for 32 percent of all deaths.
The situation has worsened due to corona, especially the recent deaths of young people due to heart attacks. Irregular lifestyle, unhealthy diet, excessive exercise can cause heart attack.
Although the exact cause of the heart attack is not yet known, some of the symptoms of the heart attack can be seen.
If You Have To Go To The Doctor
If you talk with your doctor about right shoulder and arm pain, they may recommend the following, depending on the severity of your condition.
- Immobilization: In some cases, limiting the movement of your shoulder or arm may help it heal. This is often achieved using a sling, brace, or cast. Your doctor will let you know when it can be removed.
- Corticosteroid injections: This is a type of medication that your doctor can inject into the affected area to help reduce inflammation.
- Prescription medications: Prescription pain medications may be given for severe pain. Oral corticosteroids can help ease inflammation. If you have RA, your doctor will likely prescribe a disease-modifying drug.
- Physical therapy: Your doctor may give you a list of exercises to do that can help you regain strength, flexibility, and range of motion. In some cases, they may recommend that you work with a physical therapist.
- Surgery: Surgery may be recommended when other treatments havent been effective or when damage is severe. The specific procedure thats used can depend on whats causing your condition.
Is It Just Shoulder Pain Or A Heart Attack
Shoulder pain is a common problem among adults. It is most often caused inflammation due to an injury to the muscles and tendons stabilizing the shoulder joint. These structures are more commonly known as the rotator cuff, which can be easily damaged through wear and tear from overuse. To compensate for the discomfort and pain in this area we use different muscles to move the shoulder in doing activities such as reaching or picking up objects. These mechanisms cause pain in the shoulder as well as the neck area.
Shoulder pain associated with rotator cuff injury is characterized by dull, aching pain in the shoulder and upper arm. It is usually felt when you try to reach overhead, lifting objects or reaching behind the back. The pain usually persists at night and improves when the arm is rested.
Sometimes shoulder pains are associated with neck pains. Inflammation around the neck joints can compress the nerve roots in this area and affect the shoulders as well. A common cause of neck and shoulder pains is arthritis, which can lead to nerve-related pains. It is characterized by a stabbing, burning, or sharp pain in the neck and shoulder blade. Tingling sensation can also occur, which radiates to the elbow and hand. The pain occurs when the arm is extended and twisted inwards. It persists at rest but is relieved by supporting the neck.
Is it a Heart Attack?
Treatment for Shoulder Pain
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Breaking Out In A Cold Sweat
Another common symptom is finding yourself breaking out in a cold sweat. The reason behind this symptom is that when you have clogged arteries, your heart requires more effort to pump blood, and sweating keeps your bodys temperature down during this extra effort.
For women, this means night sweats may not just be the result of menopause. They might also be a sign of heart problems.
If you experience any of these symptoms, make sure to consult your physician. Dont wait until it becomes urgent.
Left Arm Pain Doesnt Always Mean Youre Having A Heart Attack Heres What To Watch For
Left arm pain and how the pain moves can be one of the key differences between mens and womens heart attacks.In men, the left arm pain will move from the shoulder down the left arm or up to the chin. If the pain comes on suddenly and is unusually severe, or is accompanied by pressure or squeezing in the chest, seek emergency treatment immediately.
In women, the pain can be subtler. It can radiate to the right or left arm. It can involve the chin, shoulder blades and upper back. The pain can reach into the abdomen and feel like nausea, indigestion and anxiety. Women are more likely than men to experience shortness of breath, nausea, vomiting and back or jaw pain.
Like in men, chest pain or discomfort is a common heart attack symptom in women. The pressure or squeezing can last for more than a few minutes or be intermittent in women. Seek emergency medical treatment immediately if you have heart attack symptoms.
Not all left arm pain, achiness or difficulty moving is a sign of a heart attack. Sometimes the cause is an injury, compressed nerves or other issues that dont involve your heart.
Be mindful of the other symptoms, and if they last for more than a couple minutes, get emergency help.
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When You See Your Doctor:
- Bring a list of your symptoms and when they are occurring.
- Let them know about any related family history.
- Talk about stress or anything going on in your life that might contribute to a problem.
Your doctor likely willlisten to your symptoms and check your pulse and blood pressure. They may orderblood work, which will show whether your heart is damaged.
They also may use an electrocardiogram to tell whether the electrical activity of your heart is normal, or an echocardiogram to view images of the heart to see if damage has occurred.
All this is important inidentifying any problems and taking steps to intervene before a possible heartattack.
When To Contact A Medical Professional
Sudden left shoulder pain can sometimes be a sign of a heart attack. Call 911 if you have sudden pressure or crushing pain in your shoulder, especially if the pain runs from your chest to the left jaw, arm or neck, or occurs with shortness of breath, dizziness, or sweating.
Go to the hospital emergency room if you have just had a severe injury and your shoulder is very painful, swollen, bruised, or bleeding.
- Shoulder pain with a fever, swelling, or redness
- Problems moving the shoulder
- Pain for more than 2 to 4 weeks, even after home treatment
- Swelling of the shoulder
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Tips To Determine If The Left Arm Pain Is Heart Related
Your left arm can hurt for a number of reasons including overstrain or even injury, so how can you tell when it is related to the heart? The below tips will help you distinguish regular left arm pain and heart-related left arm pain.
Evaluate the quality of your pain: Pain will feel like pressure or squeezing in the chest, and vary in intensity. If this pain then moves to the left arm, that indicates it is a heart-related left arm pain.
Look for non-pain-related symptoms: Left arm pain that exists on its own is rarely caused by the heart. Looking for other non-pain-related symptoms can help you better determine if you are about to have a heart attack. These symptoms include nausea, lightheadedness or dizziness, cold sweating, and shortness of breath or difficulty breathing. If these non-pain symptoms coexist with your pain, you need to contact a doctor immediately.
Evaluating your pain: When evaluating your pain, its important to first note the duration of the pain. If the pain only lasts for a few seconds, it is quite unlikely that it is caused by the heart. If pain is persistent, lasting days or weeks, that is also an unlikely indicator of heart-related pain. Pain related to a heart attack will last for a few minutes or hours, and it may also reoccur in short intervals. Lastly, if pain in the left arm occurs only when you use the arm for physical activity, it is due to muscle issues, not heart.
Pay Attention To Heart Attack Symptoms
Experts urge women to learn the various heart attack symptoms and to call 911 promptly at the appearance of these signs.
Though most women feel indigestion once in a while, experiencing a cluster of unusual symptoms or a persistent sensation in the chest, back, or stomach never felt before is reason to seek emergency care. Park has seen too many patients wait too long. Because women have lots of competing demands — jobs, families, and sometimes caregiving duties — âtaking care of themselves, even if they donât feel well, usually doesnât make it to the top of the list,â she says.
That can be dangerous, experts say.
âThe longer a woman waits before getting treatment to open the blocked blood vessel to the heart, the more damage is done to the heart muscle. If a large amount of the heart muscle is damaged, the woman will be at risk for heart failure,â says Teresa Caulin-Glaser, MD, co-author of The Womanâs Heart: An Ownerâs Guide and director of preventive cardiology and research at McConnell Heart Health Center in Columbus, Ohio.
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Signs Of Heart Attack That You Shouldnt Ignore
About every 40 seconds, someone has a heart attack in the US. Most people imagine that having a heart attack is always intense. But the truth is that sometimes you may be unsure if your are suffering from a heart attack because the signs can be subtle and different from what you may typically think of.
This makes heart attacks very dangerous. In fact, 1 in 5 heart attacks goes unnoticed, meaning the heart muscle is damaged due to lack of blood supply but the person is not aware of that this has occurred.
So what are the signs of a heart attack both subtle and not-so-subtle? Here are 4 signs of heart attack to be on the lookout for:
The Three Most Common Causes Of Noncardiac Chest Pain
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Symptoms Of A Heart Attack In Men
Youre more likely to experience a heart attack if youre a man. Men also have heart attacks earlier in life compared to women. If you have a family history of heart disease or a history of cigarette smoking, high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, obesity, or other risk factors, your chances of having a heart attack are even higher.
Fortunately, a lot of research has been done on how mens hearts react during heart attacks.
Symptoms of a heart attack in men include:
- standard chest pain/pressure that feels like an elephant is sitting on your chest, with a squeezing sensation that may come and go or remain constant and intense
- upper body pain or discomfort, including arms, left shoulder, back, neck, jaw, or stomach
- rapid or irregular heartbeat
- stomach discomfort that feels like indigestion
- shortness of breath, which may leave you feeling like you cant get enough air, even when youre resting
- dizziness or feeling like youre going to pass out
- breaking out in a cold sweat
Its important to remember, however, that each heart attack is different. Your symptoms may not fit this cookie-cutter description. Trust your instincts if you think something is wrong.
In recent decades, scientists have realized that heart attack symptoms can be quite different for women than for men.
Symptoms of heart attack in women include:
In a 2012 survey published in the journal Circulation, only 65 percent of women said theyd call 911 if they thought they might be having a heart attack.
When To See A Doctor
A person who suspects they are having a heart attack should seek emergency medical attention.
People with angina may have difficulty differentiating a heart attack from an episode of angina. If symptoms persist after treatment with aspirin or nitroglycerin sublingual spray, emergency treatment is necessary.
Sports injuries, such as swimmers shoulder and RCT, may require medical attention if rest and ice do not alleviate symptoms. A doctor may prescribe pain relief and may refer the person to a physiotherapist for further treatment.
People with brachial neuritis may consult their doctor for a diagnosis and pain relief. However, there are few other treatment options available. The condition generally resolves on its own.
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Symptoms Can Be Different For Men And Women
Men and women experience heart attack symptoms in slightly different ways. The main difference is how pain radiates.
- For men: Pain will spread to the left shoulder, down the left arm or up to the chin.
- For women: Pain can be much more subtle. It may travel to the left or right arm, up to the chin, shoulder blades and upper back or to abdomen . Women are also more likely to experience these accompanying symptoms: shortness of breath, nausea, vomiting and back or jaw pain. Read an in-depth overview of heart attack symptoms for women here.
Some heart attacks are sudden and intense, but most start slowly with mild pain and discomfort. Surviving a heart attack depends upon how well you recognize and react to these symptoms. Remember that “time is muscle.” The sooner you receive medical care, the sooner heart muscle can be saved.
Arm Back Neck Jaw Or Stomach Pain Or Discomfort
Heart attack pain may not be confined to the chest area. Pain or discomfort in your arm, back, neck, jaw, or stomach can also be heart attack-related.
But many people do not associate pain in these areas with having a heart attack which may prevent them from getting immediate medical attention.
Some head-to-toe signs of a heart attack include:
- Lightheadedness
- Jaw, neck, or back pain
- Arm or shoulder pain or discomfort
- Shortness of breath
If you feel sudden discomfort in these areas, call 9-1-1.
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Symptoms Accompanying Shoulder Pain And Heart Attack
Now that you know that there is a possibility of heart attacks being connected with shoulder injuries, you may be wondering what symptoms you should be looking out for. Fortunately, the work of many doctors and scientists over the years have found a number of heart attack symptoms you should pay attention to.
Waiting For An Ambulance
If you have had a heart attack, it’s important that you rest while you wait for an ambulance, to avoid unnecessary strain on your heart.
If aspirin is available and you are not allergic to it, slowly chew and then swallow an adult-size tablet while you wait for the ambulance.
Aspirin helps to thin your blood and improve blood flow to your heart.
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Is Mild Chest Pain Normal
Chest pain may arise and subside every few minutes or over several days. The cause may be related to the heart, the muscles, the digestive system, or psychological factors. Underlying causes of chest pain may be mild, as in the case of acid reflux. Or, they may be serious and indicate, for example, a heart attack.
Is Neck Pain A Sign Of A Heart Attack: A Comprehensive Guide
In this article, Is Neck Pain a Sign of a Heart Attack: A Comprehensive Guide we are going to discuss heart attack, signs that will say youre having a heart attack, symptoms of having a mild or massive heart attack, states during a heart attack in different body parts. What is the current medication to a heart patient and what should you do if you think youre having a heart attack?
Then we will talk about neck pain, what causes neck pain, what are the risk factors of neck pain and the things about neck pain that is might be related to a heart attack.
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Can You Recognize A Heart Attack Or Stroke
What To Do When Every Moment Counts
How would you react to a medical emergency? When it comes to life-threatening conditions like heart attack or stroke, every minute counts. Get to know the signs and symptoms of these health threats. If you think you or someone else might be having a heart attack or stroke, get medical help right away. Acting fast could save your life or someone elses.
Heart disease and stroke are 2 of the top killers among both women and men in the U.S. Nationwide, someone dies from a heart attack about every 90 seconds, and stroke kills someone about every 4 minutes, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Quick medical help could prevent many of these deaths. Fast action can also limit permanent damage to the body.
Heart attack and stroke are caused by interruptions to the normal flow of blood to the heart or brain2 organs that are essential to life. Without access to oxygen-rich blood and nutrients, heart or brain cells begin to malfunction and die. This cell death can set off a series of harmful effects throughout the body. The changes ultimately lead to the familiar symptoms of a heart or brain emergency.
You might know the most common symptoms of heart attack: sustained, crushing chest pain and difficulty breathing. A heart attack might also cause cold sweats, a racing heart, pain down the left arm, jaw stiffness, or shoulder pain.