“I was short of breath. I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t talk. My chest
was heavy. It felt like a heavy weight was pressing down on my
chest. I was sweating even though the air-conditioner was on. I
felt faint and fatigued. Then the pain…oh the pain! I can’t forget
that pain. It was raw, deep and intense. It was scary. It still
scares
me.” Such was the account of a friend who suffered an
“incident”
recently. She didn’t know it, but she was suffering a “petit mal”
or “little death”. In common parlance she was having a heart
attack.
How many times have you felt similar symptoms? Never, once,
twice, occasionally?
A skipped heartbeat, the feeling of fish flopping around in your
chest, a racing heart rate — these are all the physical feelings of
atrial fibrillation — simply put, the most common type of heart
rhythm disorder. Millions of Nigerians suffer from atrial fibrillation
— the type of irregular heartbeat that occurs when the upper
chambers of the person’s heart (the atria) quiver out of rhythm
with the lower chambers.
People can develop an abnormal heart rhythm at any age, but the
risk for atrial fibrillation increases as one gets older. The number
of people affected by this disorder is actually expected to
double.A warning sign is indication that something is amiss with
your heart. Heart disease kills more men and women than all forms
of cancer combined.
Why is heart disease so deadly?
Many people are slow to seek help when symptoms arise. Yes,
someone gripped by sudden chest pain probably knows to call for
help. But heart symptoms aren’t always intense or obvious, and
they vary from person to person and according to gender. First
episodes of atrial fibrillation may feel quite different from having
a
heart attack, so many people pass it off as nothing serious. But,
just because the disorder lacks the chest-clutching drama of a
coronary, doesn’t mean it’s not dangerous.
Signals of trouble Anxiety
Heart attack can cause intense anxiety or a fear of death. Heart
attack survivors often talk about having experienced a sense of
“impending doom.”
Chest discomfort
Pain in the chest is the classic symptom of heart attack, and the
No. 1 symptom doctors typically look for. But not all heart attacks
cause chest pain. Heart-related chest pain is often centered
under the breastbone, perhaps a little to the left of center. The
pain has been likened to “an elephant sitting on the chest,” but it
can also be an uncomfortable sensation of pressure, squeezing,
or
fullness.
Cough
Persistent coughing or wheezing can be a symptom of heart
failure — a result of fluid accumulation in the lungs. In some cases,
people with heart failure cough up bloody phlegm.
Dizziness
Heart attacks can cause lightheadedness and loss of
consciousness. So can potentially dangerous heart rhythm
abnormalities known as arrhythmias.
Fatigue
Especially among women, unusual fatigue can occur during a heart
attack as well as in the days and weeks leading up to one. And
feeling tired all the time may be a symptom of heart failure. You
can
also feel tired or fatigued for other reasons. Wasting time is
dangerous.
Nausea or lack of appetite
It’s not uncommon for people to feel sick to their stomach or
throw up during a heart attack. And abdominal swelling associated
with heart failure can interfere with appetite.
Pain in other parts of the body
In many heart attacks, pain begins in the chest and spreads to the
shoulders, arms, elbows, back, neck, jaw, or abdomen. But
sometimes there is no chest pain — just pain in these other body
areas. The pain 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.
Rapid or irregular pulse
Doctors say that there’s nothing worrisome about an occasional
skipped heartbeat. But a rapid or irregular pulse — especially
when accompanied by weakness, dizziness, or shortness of
breath — can be evidence of a heart attack, heart failure, or an
arrhythmia. Left untreated, some arrhythmias can lead to stroke,
heart failure, or sudden death.
Shortness of breath
People who feel winded at rest or with minimal exertion might
have
a pulmonary condition like asthma or chronic obstructive
pulmonary
disease (COPD). But breathlessness could also indicate a heart
attack or heart failure. Sometimes people having a heart attack
don’t have chest pressure or pain but feel extremely short of
breath,” It’s like they’ve just run a marathon when they haven’t
even moved. During a heart attack, shortness of breath often
accompanies chest discomfort, but it can also occur before or
without chest discomfort.
Sweating
Breaking out in a cold sweat is a common symptom of heart
attack.
You might just be sitting in a chair when all of a sudden you are
really sweating like you had just worked out.
Swelling
Heart failure can cause fluid to accumulate in the body. This can
cause swelling (often in the feet, ankles, legs, or abdomen) as
well
as sudden weight gain and sometimes a loss of appetite.
Weakness
In the days leading up to a heart attack, as well as during one,
some people experience severe, unexplained weakness.
This information could save your life
Never ignore the signs
It can be hard to make sense of heart symptoms, so never ignore
possible warning signs, waiting to see if they go away, or being
quick to blame them on heartburn, muscle soreness, or other less
serious, non-cardiac causes.
This is especially true for men and people over 65, as well as for
people with other cardiac risk factors, such as high cholesterol or
blood pressure, obesity, smoking, diabetes, or a family history of
heart disease. The more risk factors you have, the higher the
likelihood that a symptom means something is going on with your
heart.
Putting off treatment for other medical problems might not be so
bad, but a serious heart problem can mean sudden death. It’s
better to go in and get it evaluated than to be dead
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