12 Heart Disease Symptoms You Shouldn't Ignore

Heart disease remains the No.1 killer of men and women. One reason why heart disease is so deadly is because a lot of people delay seeking help when symptoms arise. Sudden chest pain is not the only reason for you to call your doctor.  There are some symptoms that are not always discernible or strong, but then again this varies from one person to another and gender related.

Due to the difficulty of making sense of heart symptoms, doctors warn against living through symptoms or ignoring them and hoping they will go away.  Particularly of concern are  men over 65 years and other people with other heart risk factors like history of heart disease in the family,  high blood pressure or high cholesterol, obesity, smoking, or diabetes.

The higher your risk factors, the likelihood that a symptom signifies some irregularity with your heart. As a matter of fact, heart affliction is rampant amongst younger people who often feel they are too young to have heart trouble, but unfortunately a serious heart problem can mean sudden death. It’s better to get yourself checked than to be dead. Experts gave twelve symptoms that may signal heart problem.

1. Fretfulness. Heart attack can cause intense fretfulness or a fear of death. People who survived a heart attack often speak about having gone through a feeling of an imminent disaster waiting to happen.

 2. Pain in the Chest. Chest pain is a typical symptom of a heart attack, and the major symptom we normally look for. On the contrary, not all hearts attacks come with chest pain, since chest pain can be a result of other illnesses unrelated to the heart, such as heartburn or chest muscle soreness.

A pain that is heart related is regularly centered under the breastbone, maybe a little to the left of center, and likened to ‘an elephant sitting on the chest’. It is also described as painful sensation of pressure, squeezing, or fullness. Women also experience a burning sensation in their chest, instead of pain or pressure, often described as minor, and not bad enough to warrant taking analgesics.  At times people think the pain comes from a stomach problem.

3. Pain all over the body. Though in many heart attacks, pain starts in the chest and moves to the shoulders, arms, elbows, back, neck, jaw, or abdomen. And at other times pain in the chest doesn’t happen. Only pain in the other parts of the body, which might come and go. Men having a heart attack often feel pain in the left arm. In women, the pain is more likely to be felt in both arms, or between the shoulder blades.

4. Cough or gasping. Continuous coughing or gasping can be a symptom of heart failure due to fluid accumulation in the lungs. Some people with heart failure cough up bloody phlegm.

5. Faintness. Lightheadedness and faintness can be caused by heart attacks or potentially dangerous heart rhythm abnormalities known as arrhythmias.

6. Tiredness. Feeling tired all the time may be a symptom of heart failure. Particularly among women, unusual tiredness can occur during a heart attack, and in the days and weeks leading up to one. Undoubtedly one can feel tired for other reasons, but if you feel unwell and you’re seriously tired, don’t try to figure it out, just visit your doctor because there’s danger in delaying.

7. Queasiness or loss of appetite. It’s not unusual for people to throw up during a heart attack, while loss of appetite is caused by bloated abdomen often linked to heart failure.

8. Fast or irregular pulse. There is nothing to worry about an occasional missed heartbeat, according to doctors. But a fast or irregular pulse, particularly when attended by weakness, lightheadedness, or shortness of breath, is a signal of a heart attack, heart failure, or an arrhythmia. Some arrhythmias if not treated can lead to stroke, heart failure, or sudden death.

9. Breathlessness. Breathlessness can also signal a heart attack or heart failure, although people who feel weak even while resting, or with minimal exertion,  might have a pulmonary condition like asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). 

At times people having a heart attack may not have chest pain symptom, but may feel extremely out of breath. It’s like the feeling of having run a marathon when they haven’t even moved. During a heart attack, breathless often go along with chest discomfort, but can also occur before or without chest discomfort.

10. Sweating. Breaking out in a cold sweat is a common symptom of heart attack. You might just be lying down on a couch when suddenly you’re actually sweating as if you’ve just finished a one hour aerobics workout.

11. Swelling. Heart failure can cause fluid to accumulate in the body, causing the feet ankle, legs or abdomen to swell. There’s also a sudden weight gain and sometimes a loss of appetite.

12. Chronic Weakness. In the days leading up to a heart attack, and during one, some people go through chronic inexplicable weakness. One woman who experienced such chronic weakness said she could hardly hold a piece of paper between her fingers.

For more online information on heart related issues visit WebMD, Mayo Clinic, Harvard Medical School Journal, MSN health, but very important to see your doctor if you’re concerned about your health.

Photo Credit: Creative Commons.