Heart diseases are on the rise these days and a heart attack is the most dreadful health condition. Studies suggest that every year in the USA, more than a million people die due to heart attack. With more and more people losing lives due to cardiovascular diseases, the best solution to save lives is making people aware of heart diseases and understanding the silent symptoms of a heart attack, which are like the warning signs.
For proper functioning, the heart requires a constant supply of oxygen, which is provided by the coronary arteries. During myocardial infarction, as it is known in medical terms, the blood flow to the heart is interrupted due to blocked arteries. This leads to damage or destruction of a part of the heart muscle, which triggers an extreme feeling of discomfort or causes the person to collapse.
In most cases, a heart attack may strike without any warning. However, the most well-known symptom is chest pain, which can resemble a squeezing and tightening sensation. Breathing difficulty or shortness of breath after doing physical activity like running or climbing stairs can be a sign of a heart attack. Fatigue, as well as lack of energy, are warning signs too. These are some of the common signs that you need to be vigilant about.
A heart attack may have different symptoms that are normally not associated with it. Here are the top 7 symptoms of a silent heart attack:
- Pain in back and arms: A sudden yet conspicuous pain in the back and arms can be an indication of a heart attack. This is due to the reduced supply of blood to these parts of the body due to a clogged artery. A clogged artery gives out pain signals through the nerve which the brain may confuse with a normal body ache.
- Pain in throat, neck, or jaw pain: Another sign of heart attack includes unexplained discomfort or pain in the throat, neck or jaw.
- Heartburn: A simple heartburn is not a threat to your health, but it becomes a concern when it is abnormal. Like sudden heartburn without any possible cause can pose a threat to your health and is something to be concerned with. It could be that chest pain is camouflaged in the form of heartburn and in such a case, it requires serious consideration.
- Dizziness: Another sign of a heart attack is a person fainting or losing balance. In case this is accompanied by discomfort in the chest, a cardiologist should be immediately consulted.
- Feeling of anxiety or depression: Another warning sign that needs special attention is an unexplained feeling of depression, gloominess, or experiencing a nagging feeling of anxiety.
- Snoring: Loud snoring with interruptions in breathing or sleep apnea can result in a heart attack. So, it requires to be monitored.
- Upset stomach: Though most common in women, a stomach problem, like nausea, indigestion, vomiting, or stomach pain can be linked to a heart attack.
