Subtle Heart Attack Symptoms You Need To Be On The Lookout For

A heart attack can happen anytime and anywhere, particularly to those who kept on making poor lifestyle choices. Its symptoms may vary from one person to the next. In some cases, people may feel pain similar to indigestion when, in fact, they are already suffering a heart attack. Most of the time, however, people who suffer from heart attacks feel an excruciating chest pain that could cause them to suddenly grab at their chests or fall down.

Different Type of Symptoms

There are some heart attack symptoms, however, that may seem unrelated to the condition itself. In a study reviewing the symptoms related to a heart attack, or myocardial infarction in medical terms, researchers found some who experienced atypical symptoms.

The study which involved the review of 777 hospitalized elderly patients with ages ranging from 65 to 100, researchers discovered that those aged 85 and over experienced atypical symptoms.

Atypical Symptoms of Heart Attack

Cardiothoracic surgeon Dr. Mehmet Cengriz Oz, on the website Dr. Oz Show, listed down some of these atypical symptoms of a heart attack. According to Dr. Oz, atypical symptoms may include pain in the back, stomach, jaw, neck, or arm. These are signals of the oncoming deadly condition.

Experiencing unexplained fatigue is also a symptom that you are having or suffering from a heart attack. Confusion and shortness of breathing while performing activities that previously did not cause any breathing difficulty are also among such atypical symptoms. In women, they may feel tightness or squeezing in the chest, similar to the feeling of their bra tightness instead of feeling the usual sudden and sharp pain.

Vague chest pains that are closely similar to that of having indigestion is another atypical symptom of heart attacks. This kind of chest pain is usually experienced by patients who are 85 years old and above.

Heart Attack Cause

According to the British Heart Foundation, the most common cause of heart attacks is coronary heart disease. This condition leads to the narrowing of the arteries caused by the gradual accumulation of fatty deposits. The medical term for these fatty deposits is atheroma.

When a small section of atheroma breaks off, a blood clod will form around this section in an attempt to repair the artery wall damage. Such blood clots, however, instead of helping form yet another obstruction that could block the already narrow artery. Since a heart attack cannot be predicted, it is best if you were to kick-off any bad lifestyle habits and make it a point to see your doctor regularly.