Heart attacks do not come without warning. There are many symptoms that can be noticed in the days and weeks before the stroke. But people often ignore them because they don't associate them with great danger.
The symptoms that precede a heart attack in women and men can differ.
1. Indigestion or nausea
One of the most common warning signs that are ignored is nausea and stomach pain. It can range from mild digestive problems to severe nausea, cramps and vomiting. Women and people over the age of 60 often have this unrecognizable sign of an imminent heart attack.
2. Pain in the jaw, ear, neck and shoulder
Sharp pain and numbness in the chest, shoulders and arms are a sign of a heart attack, but many do not have these signs. Instead, they may experience pain in the neck or shoulder area, or pain that travels up the jaw to the ears. If the pain comes and goes instead of being constant, as is the case with inflammation or muscle strain, you should be concerned.
3. Sexual dysfunction
Men with coronary artery disease often have problems achieving and maintaining an erection. The arteries around the genital organ are smaller, so damage to them is seen more quickly.
4. Exhaustion and fatigue
The key is that it is an extremely large feeling of fatigue. Not the kind of tiredness that normally plagues you, but the kind that makes you want to crash into bed. If you are normally a very energetic person and suddenly you feel that you are completely overcome by fatigue, it is time to see a doctor.
5. Shortness of breath and dizziness
When the heart doesn't get enough blood, it doesn't get enough oxygen. Dizziness can also occur. Unfortunately, people don't associate it with heart disease because they associate breathing with the lungs, not the heart.
6. Leg swelling or pain
If the heart muscle is not working properly, waste materials are not removed from the tissues by the blood, and this can result in swelling. Edema usually starts in the feet, ankles and legs because they are the furthest from the heart and circulation is weakest there.
7. Drowsiness, insomnia and anxiety
Those who have had a heart attack often remember experiencing unexplained insomnia and awakenings during the night for weeks or months before. If you usually don't have problems sleeping and you suddenly start to suffer from insomnia and anxiety, see a doctor.
8. Flu-like symptoms
Cold, moist and sticky skin, along with a feeling of confusion, fatigue and weakness, leads some people to the conclusion that they have the flu, when in fact they are at risk of a heart attack. If you have these symptoms, but no fever and other typical signs of the flu, see a doctor. Also watch out for constant coughing that never stops - this can also be a sign of heart disease.
9. Rapidly accelerated pulse or rapid heartbeat
These episodes come on suddenly, and people feel their heart racing, as if they've just been running uphill. It may take a few seconds or longer. If it lasts longer, some feel dizzy and weak.
10. You just don't feel like you normally do
It is important to watch out for a series of symptoms that come at once and are not a common occurrence in a person. If your body reacts strangely and you somehow don't feel like you're in your own skin, don't wait.
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