10 Signs of Heart Attack
| December 7, 2012 | Posted by admin under Chest Pain, Heart Disease |
What are the 10 Signs of Heart Attack, or signs of heart problems?
Our heart’s function is to keep up the circulation of the blood flowing through our bodies. It is important for everyone to be aware of the 10 signs of a heart attack to protect themselves and their loved ones from suffering damage to this vital organ.
At birth, the heart beats about 130 times a minute. Gradually the heartbeat diminishes to about 100 beats around six years old, and slowly lessens to anywhere from 60 to 80 on average among adults. The heart beats more than two billion times during a typical lifetime and pumps millions of gallons of fluid.
The heart lies inside a sac called the pericardium, a little to the left of the chest bone, near the fifth rib. It is basically a muscle about the size of a fist. It beats from before we are born until we die, hardly ever resting. The heart is an involuntary muscle that responds to excitement, effort, and other physical activities by beating faster.
A heart attack is generally a serious, sudden, distressful, and sometimes fatal interruption of the normal functioning of the heart. This medical emergency is typically caused by a blockage in the coronary artery. A heart attack may occur anywhere, at any time, at rest or during activity, at night or early in the morning.
Not all the following 10 signs of heart attack will appear with everyone that experiences the dangerous condition. Although, a heart attack is almost always accompanied by warning signs. Many heart attack victims experience one or more symptoms, and a few people have all of them! Any combination of the ten signs is possible.
10 Signs of Heart Attack
- Uncomfortable pressure in the middle of the chest, which may last only a few minutes.
- Feelings of fullness similar to heartburn or indigestion that may diminish or go away yet returns.
- Squeezing sensations in your chest that lasts a short period, then fades before returning.
- Pain, discomfort, or a feeling of pressure, which usually come on suddenly, and episodes may last more than a half hour.
- Painful feeling that spreads from the chest to the shoulder, neck, or arms.
- Unpleasant physical sensation in the chest with shortness of breath.
- Weakness felt in the chest area along with feeling nauseous.
- Chest pain with additional symptoms of lightheadedness.
- Mild to severe chest pains followed by fainting.
- Hurting in the chest area with signs of abnormal sweating.
If you or someone close to you experiences any of these symptoms, do not delay seeking assistance life saving treatment immediately. Failure to recognize or deny the significance of the alerts our body sends can cause life-threatening consequences.
A heart attack may be your first indication of advanced coronary heart disease. For anyone reading this article, chances are you have suffered a heart attack, know someone who has, or may have some concern about the risk factors for developing heart disease.
Risk factors for heart attacks include conditions such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels, physical inactivity, smoking, and a family history of heart disease. Family members and close friends of those at risk should learn to identify the indications of a heart attack.
* Please pass along the 10 signs of a heart attack to your family and friends to help prevent one of life’s most frightening experiences.
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