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Seven Silent Signs Of A Heart Attack You Shouldn’t Ignore

Heart attack remains Nigeria’s number one killer disease, with three out of 10 Nigerians having a cardiovascular disease, according to Health Facts.

While chest pain or pressure, cold sweat or extreme weakness are some of the most common signs of a heart attack, there are other more subtle signs people who are about to have a heart attack could miss.

Chest pain. Photo: Pinterest

If you experience any of the following symptoms, see a doctor. Noticing heart attack signs early and getting prompt treatment can save your life.

1. Fatigue

This is one of the most common symptoms seen in heart attack patients, especially women. People on the verge of a heart attack may feel very tired and unable to perform their usual activities. According to WebMD, this is because, during a heart attack, blood flow to the heart is reduced, putting extra stress on the muscle, which could make you feel exhausted. To be safe, do not hesitate to ask your doctor to do an electrocardiogram (EKG), which checks heart activity. It can detect a heart attack.

2. Shortness of breath

It’s not alarming to gasp for air after running up a flight of stairs. However, if you suddenly find yourself gasping for air or feeling fatigued or breathless after waking up or at a time when you normally wouldn’t, it is a sign that something could be wrong. According to MayoClinic, the heart plays a key role in transporting oxygen to the rest of your body and removing carbon dioxide from tissues, so blocked blood flow to the heart could affect your breathing.

3. Heartburn

If you experience out of the ordinary or heartburn has never bothered you before, call your doctor because it could signal a heart attack. A heartburn-like chest pain is caused by lack of blood flow to the heart, which is what happens during a heart attack.

4. Stomach upset

Heart attack symptoms can sometimes mimic stomach problems like nausea, vomiting, or overall gastrointestinal upsets. It could be what you ate or a catastrophic heart problem.

5. Soreness in the back, arms, or chest

Pain or soreness in any of these areas is usually a sign of a silent heart attack. Heart muscle cells lose oxygen during a heart attack because of a blocked artery preventing oxygenated blood from feeding them. When this happens, the muscle sends off pain signals through the nervous system. The pain is not always accompanied by the typical chest heaviness associated with heart attack, and so people tend to ignore it. If you feel a new, worrisome symptom, you should see a doctor.


6. Discomfort in throat, neck, or jaw

Another heart attack indicator could be an unexplained discomfort of the neck or jaw or a never-felt-before tightness in the throat. People with diabetes especially have to pay attention to subtle changes like this because they have trouble feeling sensations.

7. An overall feeling that something is wrong

Always listen to that little voice in your head warning you that something feels off. Some doctors report their patients feeling less mentally sharp just before a heart attack. It is always better to be overly cautious and call a doctor than to ignore these signs.

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