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Heart Attack Symptoms: Chest Pain And 7 Other Unusual Signs of Heart Attack You Must Know This Summer

Symptoms of heart attack during summer: Get to know all the critical indications of a heart attack, not just limited to chest discomfort, to keep you secure this summer.

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Written By: Satata Karmakar | Published : May 15, 2024 11:55 AM IST

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Myocardial infarction (MI) is the term used medically to describe a heart attack. It usually happens because of a blocked coronary artery, which reduces the blood supply to the heart muscle. It's important to recognise a heart attack as soon as possible and get medical help right away. Appropriate treatment at the right time reduces damage to the heart improves the possibility of full recovery and also saves life.

In an exclusive interaction with TheHealthSite.com, Dr. Tanmai Yermal (Jain), Cardiologist, Manipal Hospital, Kharadi, Pune, tells us more about summer heart attacks and the warning signs that can show up when the heart is not functioning properly.

Understanding The Unusual Warning Signs of a Heart Attack

Any discomfort or pain in the chest is the classic sign of a heart attack. Usually, the discomfort feels like it's pressing, tightening, heaviness, or squeezing inside the chest. The back, neck, jaw, stomach, and arms typically the left arm can also experience this soreness. It is important to keep in mind that not everyone has the same symptoms; certain people, especially women, elderly and diabetic patients, may present with symptoms that are not very common. Some of the most common symptoms of a heart attack are:

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  1. Chest Pain
  2. Problems with breathing: This is usually triggered by chest pain. Breathlessness, though, can also start before any chest pain.
  3. Vomiting, indigestion, or nausea
  4. Weakness, lightheadedness or a fainting feeling.
  5. Fear or a sense of approaching disaster
  6. Sweating
  7. Ghabrahat or uneasiness and restlessness

Causes of Heart Attack

Most heart attacks are caused by coronary artery disease. One or more of the heart's (coronary) arteries become blocked in coronary artery disease. Blockages, which are deposits made of cholesterol, are generally responsible for this. Blood flow to the heart can be decreased by plaques that restrict the arteries and blood clots over these plaques lead to acute heart attack.

Heart Attack Risk Factors

The following variables greatly raise the chance of suffering a heart attack:

  1. Age: Compared to younger people, men 45 years of age and older and women 55 years of age and older are at higher risk.
  2. Use of Tobacco: Smoking increases risk, as does prolonged exposure to smoke from others.
  3. High blood pressure: Heart arteries are damaged by chronically high blood pressure. The risk is further increased when diabetes, high cholesterol, or obesity are combined.
  4. High Triglycerides or LDL Cholesterol: While ideal HDL ("good") cholesterol levels lower risk, elevated LDL ("bad") cholesterol and triglyceride levels can contribute to blood vessel narrowing.
  5. Diabetes: Higher blood sugar levels increase the risk of a heart attack.

    High blood pressure, abnormal cholesterol levels, central obesity, and elevated blood sugar are among the symptoms of metabolic syndrome.

  6. Family History: One's own risk is increased if a close relative suffers an early-life heart attack.
  7. Physical Inactivity: Heart attacks are more likely to occur in people who lead sedentary lives. Heart health benefits from regular exercise.
  8. Unhealthy Diet: Heart attack risk is increased by diets heavy in sugar, trans fats, processed foods, and salt. Place a focus on fibre, fruits, veggies, and healthy fats.
  9. Stress: The risk of a heart attack can be raised by emotional stress, especially intense rage.
  10. Smoking: Frequent active or passive smoking leads to heart attacks.
  11. Illegal Drug Use: Amphetamines and cocaine are stimulants that can cause coronary artery spasms, which can result in heart attacks.
  12. History of Preeclampsia: Pregnancy-related high blood pressure raises the chance of heart disease in the long run.
  13. Autoimmune Diseases: Heart attack risk gets higher with lupus or rheumatoid arthritis.

Heart Attack Complications

Heart muscle damage can cause problems following a heart attack, such as arrhythmias (abnormal heartbeats and rhythm), cardiac arrest, pericarditis (inflammation of the lining around the heart), heart failure and cardiogenic shock (an abrupt inability to pump blood). Each of these conditions may be deadly and demand immediate medical intervention.

Treatment Options

Heart attacks and their implications are managed with several interventional techniques. Using balloons and stents to unblock clogged coronary arteries and restore blood flow to the heart muscle, angiograms and angioplasties are frequently used procedures.

  1. Appropriate cardiac medications as prescribed by the cardiologist have to be taken regularly and should be a regular follow-up with a doctor to prevent or treat late sequelae of heart attacks.
  2. Advanced procedures include bifurcation stenting, left main coronary artery stenting, and chronic complete occlusion (CTO) interventions that can be used to address issues in more complicated cases of coronary artery disease.
  3. Device treatments are important for enhancing cardiac function and lowering problems. These include the placement of a permanent pacemaker, automated implanted cardioverter-defibrillators (AICDs), and operations like transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) and left atrial appendage (LAA) closure to close anatomical defects such as atrial septal defects (ASDs) or LAAs.
  4. These innovative treatments support a comprehensive approach to controlling heart attacks and ensuring the best outcomes for patients.

To avoid a heart attack, have a healthy lifestyle: stop smoking, eat heart-healthy food, exercise regularly, manage stress, and maintain a proper weight. Moreover, control such conditions as high blood pressure and diabetes and take prescribed drugs.

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Disclaimer: The content on TheHealthSite.com is only for informational purposes. It is not at all professional medical advice. Always consult your doctor or a healthcare specialist for any questions regarding your health or a medical condition.

Satata Karmakar

Satata Karmakar

Satata Karmakar is a health journalist and Assistant News Editor at TheHealthSite.com with over a decade of experience in digital and print media. A postgraduate in Journalism and Mass Communication, she has previously worked with leading media organisations including ... Read More