You May Be At Risk of A Heart Attack If This Area Of Your Body Gets Cold
KEY POINTS
- A heart attack would always have prior symptoms
- Some of the known symptoms are tightness of the chest or pain in the arms
- One uncommon symptom is feeling cold in your arms and legs
A heart attack is a life-threatening health crisis that needs speedy medical attention to minimize heart muscle damage and improve the chances of survival. This medical emergency occurs when one or more of the many coronary arteries suffer from blockage.
Such a condition restricts the amount of blood and oxygen being delivered to the heart. The obstruction is often the consequence of the narrowing of arteries, a process referred to in medical terms as coronary heart disease or CHD.
Health statistics show that coronary heart disease is the main cause of heart attacks. It is considered a major killer both in the UK and the rest of the world.
A Lesser-Known Symptom
There are also lesser-known symptoms of heart disease and one of which is experiencing coldness in your arms or legs. According to Mayo Clinic, the symptom manifests when the arms’ or legs’ blood vessels become narrowed. You may also experience weakness, pain, and numbness along with this symptom.
Major Symptoms of A Heart Attack
Symptoms of a heart attack may vary from one person to the next. According to the British Heart Foundation, however, one of the most common heart attack warning signs is chest discomfort or pain that occurs suddenly and will not go away. You may feel heaviness, pressure, and squeezing on your chest.
Another heart attack symptom is feeling the pain that spreads to your right or left arm. In many cases, such pain may also spread to your stomach, jaw, back, or neck.
You may also sweat profusely and feel lightheaded. Experiencing shortness of breath and feeling sick are also common heart attack symptoms. In some instances, you may feel very anxious, which is similar to panic attacks, for no reason at all. Excessive wheezing and coughing may be experienced during this time.
Heart Attack Pain
While you may have seen in movies or real-life people having heart attacks suddenly clutching at their chests and seemingly in deep pain, it may not always be the case. The BHF said that people have varying pain levels. What may be excruciating for some may be simply an annoyance to others.
The health foundation explained that while some people may consider the pain or tightness as severe, others may only feel a bit of discomfort or pain akin to indigestion.
The duration of this medical emergency may also vary. Such pain or discomfort may persist over several days while others may experience a more abrupt symptom.
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