A month before a heart attack strikes, the body gives several signs that you should be aware of. What are the signs? This is among them.
Heart attack or myocardial infarction is one of the health problems that often causes death. This condition occurs when the heart loses its oxygen supply due to a sudden blockage in a blood vessel.
If someone has a heart attack, he needs treatment from a doctor as soon as possible so that his life can be saved.
A study published in Circulation, A Journal of the American Heart Association says the signs of a heart attack can actually be detected earlier, even one month before the event.
This conclusion was obtained based on a study conducted in five hospitals in the United States. This study involved 515 women with an age range of 29 to 57 years.
Interestingly, the symptoms encountered are not chest pain, but body changes that are often considered trivial by most people.
Although this study only focuses on observing women, it doesn’t mean that men can underestimate them. Here are some signs that can occur a month before a heart attack :
1. Feeling Tired
As many as 70 percent of study participants reported experiencing excessive fatigue, so they could not do light and simple activities.
Fatigue can occur for several reasons. One of them is caused by failure of optimal heart pumping.
As many as 48 percent of study participants experienced sleep disturbances. Sleep disturbances can be in the form of insomnia (difficulty sleeping) and unable to maintain sleep quality.
Some patients with coronary artery blockage may suffer from heart pump failure. Worse, the heart pump can cause fluid buildup with complaints of shortness of breath when lying down, thus interfering with sleep quality.
Therefore, pay attention to the signs of a heart attack on this one because it can occur a month earlier.
3. Disturbing Shortness of Breath
Shortness of breath was felt by 42 percent of respondents, making it an important symptom of a heart attack. Moreover, the shortness of breath due to difficulty breathing was admittedly quite disturbing by most of the study participants.
Shortness of breath occurs because the heart is an important organ for pumping blood. When pumping is not adequate, blood can accumulate and fill the lung cavities causing shortness of breath.
4. Digestive Problems
As many as 39 percent of respondents said they experienced digestive problems, such as abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting.
Yes, heart problems can also have an impact on the digestive tract. Especially if there is a heavy fluid buildup. A person with this disorder may complain of bloating, nausea and early satiety.
5. Anxious
As many as 35 percent of research respondents admitted to experiencing excessive anxiety. The cause is not known.
If you experience anxiety and have never experienced it before, you should immediately consult a doctor. Because maybe this could be an indication of disease.
6. Chest Pain
Another sign that can occur a month before a heart attack is chest pain. The reason is, that about 30 percent of respondents experience chest pain which is a hallmark of a heart attack.
Sometimes, this chest pain is also found in other conditions such as acid reflux ( GERD ), lung problems, muscle problems, or bone problems in the chest area.
Chest pain is often ignored by people who are actually at risk of having a heart attack. Therefore, if you experience chest pain complaints, make sure you check with your doctor.
The signs above are early warnings of a heart attack that often escape the suspicion of doctors. Because the signs above are similar to the symptoms of other diseases.
However, not everyone who experiences fatigue or sleep disturbances is certain to have a heart attack. These symptoms are suspected as a sign of a heart attack if you have certain risk factors.
Heart attack risk factors can be age-related (for men over 45 and women over 55).
If you have a history of heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, or cholesterol, you are also at risk of having a myocardial infarction. Likewise with people who have a smoking habit.
Be aware of the symptoms and risk factors above. Do a thorough heart condition check with the help of a doctor. Various methods can be done such as an electrocardiogram (ECG), cardiac enzymes, and angiography.
This examination is useful for establishing an early diagnosis so that the prevention of heart attacks can be better.
Those are the signs and symptoms that can occur a month before a heart attack. So, be careful and check your heart regularly to the doctor.